21 August 2019

These are some questions for Destination Rotorua and Michelle Templer.

The Ministry for Social Development has paid more than $3.3 million to motels in Rotorua in the three months to June this year and every quarter the number of people being put up in motels is rising along with the bill.

Rotorua is a tourism location but some businesses say this look is not good for tourism with homeless people and families going from motel to motel do you think this is having an effect on tourism and why?

Some say the image of Rotorua is getting tarnished as more than 20 motels and backpackers are signed up with MSD do you disagree or agree and why?

Are you aware of any other tourism hot spots that are also facing this issue of more homeless people living in motels and how are they dealing with it?

To the best of your knowledge how many hotels and motels are in Rotorua?

Could the influx of Air B and Bs mean more moteliers are turning to MSD clients to survive?

From Destination Rotorua CE Michelle Templer:

"While access to emergency housing is a national issue, it's not good to see anyone having to live in a motel. We know that members of the Rotorua tourism industry are concerned about the impact on Rotorua's perception and it's encouraging to know that there are a number of discussions underway focusing on how Rotorua responds to the housing challenge.

"Our team at the i-SITE is very focused on ensuring that our visitors have a positive experience in Rotorua. We are fortunate to have an extensive range of accommodation options available here and a key part of the i-SITE booking role is understanding what each visitor wants from their holiday experience so we can recommend the most suitable option.

"As at June 2019, there were 115 commercial accommodation businesses in Rotorua."

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Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Uber launching in Rotorua

Reporter sought general comment/reaction from Destination Rotorua about the launch of Uber in Rotorua.

From Destination Rotorua CE Michelle Templer:

Our Business Events team often gets asked by conference organisers if Uber is available here. Rotorua is attracting more and more large conferences to the destination and many delegates expect to be able to use their app to get around the city. For example, we're currently hosting 600 delegates for the Infrastructure New Zealand Building Nations Symposium. Earlier this year, 1200 delegates were in town for the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) conference and another 1300 were at TRENZ. Uber will supplement the current taxi offering during these busy periods and help provide a positive experience for delegates and other visitors.