Whakatāne tourism expected to suffer from Whakaari/White Island tragedy

Wednesday, 11 December 2019

Whakatane District Council mayor, Judy Turner is supporting local whanau.

The White Island eruption is expected to have a dampening effect on Whakatāne's tourism industry but local tourism groups say it is too early to count the cost.

An estimated 10,000 people visit the island each year and it plays a prominent part of the town's promotional work, with a controlled number boat trips and flights to the island, and other diving or fishing charters to the area.

Whakatāne's i-Site has 'an experience room' dedicated to it.

Tourism Bay of Plenty said it was still focused on the recovery operation before looking at the longer term impact of the eruption.

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Tim Dallatomasina and Gerard Sanz wear hard hats and gas masks during a visit to Whaakari/White Island just a few days before the eruption.

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Local businesses approached would not talk about the tragedy's impact on Wednesday, but figures from Infometrics show that tourism contributed $129 million to the Whakatāne district economy last year, nearly 5 per cent of its economy.

Tourism generates 265,000 guest nights and provides about 900 jobs for the town.

White Island has been a major part of Whakatane's tourism industry.

'We estimate there are about 60 jobs in Whakatāne that are in the scenic and sightseeing transport sector so that's going to your boat and helicopter work, and most of that is definitely going to be White Island-related,' Infometrics economist Brad Olsen said.

The eruption had occurred in peak season, and local businesses would almost certainly see visitors drop off for a while.

Flowers and cards at the cordon site for White Island victims.

'We saw this with Kaikoura [with the 2016 earthquake], there will be a short-term impact on tourism, there's no doubt about that.

'But actually New Zealand's tourism offerings are pretty resilient, because we quite quickly understand what needs to change to continue to provide a service in a safe manner.'

Local iwi have placed a rahui on the island, making it culturally off-limits.

It is unclear whether tourists will be allowed to return to the island, but Olsen said the tourism sector was 'pretty savvy,' and tourists would at least be able to see the island from afar.

In a statement, Eastern Bay Chamber of Commerce general manager Crete Wana paid tribute to those directly affected by the eruption.

'Those whanau/families who are immediately affected by this tragedy are grieving, the Whakatane community is grieving with them.

The chamber said White Island Tours was 'a global tour attraction that is second to none' and its general manager Patrick O'Sullivan and local iwi Ngati Awa were also commended 'for the work and support they are showing to their staff and clients at this time'.

A health and safety investigation has been launched by Worksafe into the deaths, alongside a parallel criminal investigation by police.

Six people have been confirmed dead a further eight people are missing, while 25 are in critical condition.