31 Jan 2014

Rotorua festival attracts Aucklanders

6:54 am on 31 January 2014

Maori attractions in Rotorua stand to miss out on vital tourism spending if Raggamuffin moves from there to Auckland.

The annual music event kicks off on Friday and injects $14.9 million in to the city's economy.

Raggamuffin festival director Jackie Sanders says few local people are buying tickets, with only about 20 percent buying passes. Up to 60 percent of sales come from Auckland.

Ms Sanders says it would more economical to hold the event in Auckland, because it would cut a lot of costs, such as setting up stages, and paying artists to travel from Auckland to Rotorua.

But she admits if the event is shifted it could affect visitor numbers to Rotorua tourism sites, including Maori attractions.

Ms Sanders says festival-goers have told organisers they like to make a road trip of the weekend and visit

places such as hotpools.

She says there would definitely be an effect on business if the event wasn't held there and she would prefer that the event stays in Rotorua.