Economic impacts of Ultra-Trail Australia 2024
This report estimates the economic impacts on the Blue Mountains economy from spending by trail runners who attended Ultra-Trail Australia (UTA) by UTMB in May 2024.
Articles written by leading NZ economist about Tourism
Economic impacts of spa and wellness tourism in Rotorua
The “Economic impacts of spa and wellness tourism in Rotorua” report, provided by New Zealand leading regional economist Benje Patterson, has unveiled significant positive economic impact and shown the city's prominence as a premier destination for relaxation and rejuvenation.
Which regions have larger tourism sectors than before Covid?
This blog post looks at tourism spending across New Zealand’s regions to establish how the tourism sector recovery is going since borders reopened. The findings of which regions have more visitor spending than before Covid-19 may surprise you.
Feasibility study: Economic impacts of extending the Otago Central Rail ...
Benje Patterson estimated the potential use and economic impacts of a proposed Taieri Gorge extension to the Otago Central Rail Trail. An extension would give opportunities for bikers or walkers to travel between Middlemarch and Taieri, allowing for easy access from Dunedin with its large population and range of supporting visitor amenities.
Could exporting to ex-visitors be NZ’s next billion dollar industry?
Tourism is not just about the experience a visitor has while in New Zealand, the visit can forever change the person. There is untapped potential to build economic relationships with tourists beyond their visitor spend and lift their lifetime value to New Zealand.
Economic impacts of a dark sky reserve in Waimakariri
Benje Patterson was commissioned by Enterprise North Canterbury to analyse the potential economic impacts from the creation of a dark sky reserve in Waimakariri centred on Oxford.
Bike tourism in production plantation forests worth $291 million
At least $291 million was spent by bike tourists who cycled through New Zealand’s production plantation forests in 2022. The top regions for production forest bike tourism are Rotorua, Auckland, Queenstown, Dunedin, and Christchurch, followed by Wanaka, Nelson Tasman, Taranaki, Taupō, and Coromandel.
International biking spotlight: Deschutes National Forest, Oregon
Benje Patterson has recently investigated the economic impacts of biking in plantation forests in New Zealand. As part of this research, an international case study from Deschutes National Forest in Oregon, United States was presented.
More than 270,000 guest nights by over 65’s on West ...
A recent report by Benje Patterson estimates that there were 272,328 guest nights by silver tourists on the West Coast at the pre-Covid tourism peak, which equated to 21% of all guest nights in the region. The silver tourism economy, defined as touristic activity by people aged 65 years and over, represents a key growth opportunity for tourism in the West Coast.
Silver tourism is a key growth opportunity for the tourism ...
The silver tourism economy is a big deal for New Zealand – with silver tourists representing one in five travellers across the country. Silver tourists are travellers aged 65 years and older. As a cohort these older travellers are often overlooked, but silver tourists represent a key growth opportunity for tourism across our regions.
Queenstown risks reputational damage
Queenstown - they risk damaging the entire reputation of the New Zealand tourism sector. If people go home not having been able to wine, dine, and play how and when they want, then people won't wax lyrical about New Zealand to their friends and family when they return home.
$139.8 million spent in Rotorua by mountain bikers who visited ...
A new Benje Patterson report commissioned by RotoruaNZ that assesses the contribution of mountain biking to the Rotorua Lakes Economy shows that $103.4m was spent in Rotorua last year by visitors who visited for the sole purpose of mountain biking. Other visitors who mountain biked while staying in Rotorua for other reasons spent a further $36.4m, a total contribution of $139.8m to the local economy.