October 19, 2022
Tough task for Tapsell as inn rooms full
New Zealand Māori Tourism chair Dale Stephens says Rotorua’s new mayor Tania Tapsell has been handed a double whammy.
He says Tania Tapsell is pragmatic and has a deep understanding about what her city needs, but with a lot of the city’s motel beds still in use for emergency housing, there’s not room for the visitors the town’s cafes, bares and tourist attractions need to thrive.
“She’s been handed a really difficult assignment, taking over as the mayor of the place because they’ve got the twin issues of a sector that’s struggling, tourism, and the situation with regards to the hotels being all taken up for emergency housing. How do you deal with that in a compassionate way for those people in that housing but also with due consideration for the city and the industry and the revenue they need to keep going,” Mr Stephens says.
He says Rotorua’s hospitality venues also struggle to find the staff they need to open their doors seven days.
.