New Zealand's Bluff Oyster Festival selling tickets at gate after sharp drop
New Zealand's 26-year-old Bluff Oyster Festival announced it will sell tickets at the gate on Saturday after pre-sale ticket sales fell 38%. Organiser John Edminstin blamed the rise in fuel prices and pressure on household budgets; according to South Island tourism ministry data, the festival's NZ$4.2 million contribution to the regional economy is at risk.
John Edminstin, organiser of the Bluff Oyster Festival held annually in Bluff in New Zealand's South Island since 1999, told RNZ Business that pre-sale ticket sales for Saturday's event have fallen 38% from previous years and that the festival will sell tickets at the gate. Only 7,440 of the 12,000 tickets allocated had been sold in advance; the average adult ticket is NZ$48 (about US$28), while out-of-town accommodation packages start at NZ$195.
Edminstin listed three main reasons for the decline: 'Fuel prices on the Invercargill-Bluff route have risen 38% in three months (from NZ$3.28 to NZ$4.52 per litre); accommodation has risen 22% due to Air NZ trimming the Christchurch route; food spending in the average household budget has tightened by 11%.' Southland Regional Council Secretary-General Cameron McIntosh said, citing University of Otago tourism research unit data, that 'the festival's direct and indirect contribution to the Bluff economy is NZ$4.2 million, equivalent to about 7% of district economic activity.'
New Zealand Tourism Ministry Spokesperson Tania Witana said in a Monday statement that preparations are underway for an NZ$800,000 support package for South Island 'small community festivals,' to be applied in September-October. The traditional Bluff oyster (Tiostrea chilensis) industry sustains 28 families; the oyster season runs from 1 March to 31 August. This year's festival features 18 music acts, 11 local oyster vendors and a special cooking demonstration by Christchurch chef Steve Logan; tickets will be sold at the gate for NZ$55 between 9:30 and 13:00. This article is not investment advice; regional tourism activity may track macroeconomic factors.
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