Tourism Bay of Plenty will be playing host to the 2011 Inbound Tour Operators Council Conference, winning over bids from Taupo and the Wairarapa.

 

The winner was announced last week at the annual conference dinner, which this year was held in Blenheim, after each region presented to the delegation.

 

Tourism Bay of Plenty GM Tim Burgess couldn’t be happier with the decision.

 

“This is exciting news for the Bay of Plenty and it’ll have positive effects for the region, both in the short-term and the long-term.  We won by a landslide which shows how keen people are to come to the Bay of Plenty,” he said.

 

And according to Bay of Plenty Convention Bureau manager Esther Goldsworthy, this is just one of the many conference groups interested in the region.

 

“The enquiries range from team building activities for 20 people to a conference of 300 plus delegates and research indicates that each delegate is worth $400 per day to the region they are conferencing in,” she said.