A tourist to Tauranga is unlikely to have any flattering words to say about the city after he was assaulted in the CBD overnight.

A witness who called the 0800 SUNLIVEnews hotline today says the tourist suffered head injuries after being assaulted 'by a thug” at the corner of The Strand and Harington Street at about 9.30pm.

A tourist suffered head injuries after being assaulted at the corner of The Strand and Harington Street on Tuesday night. Photo: David Tauranga

Ambulance staff attending the incident assessed the tourist at the scene before transporting him to Tauranga Hospital with minor head injuries.

A police spokesperson confirms a 20-year-old man was arrested in relation to the incident about half an hour after the assault occurred.

'The man will now faces a charge of assault with intent to injure when he appears in the Tauranga District Court on Friday.”

The alleged offender will also face one charge of theft ex-person, but the police spokesperson couldn't confirm if it was in relation to last night's assault.

Unwittingly, the victim of last night's assault is now the third tourist to the Bay of Plenty to have been targeted by local criminals this week alone.

Two groups of tourists had property stolen from their campervans in two separate incidents in Rotorua on Monday. One campervan was broken into on Long Mile Road at about 12.20pm, while the other was broken into at Okere Falls at 2.30pm.

'On this occasion tourists were targeted and we want them to remember New Zealand as a great place to visit not because they were a victim of crime,” says a spokesperson.

Police are appealing to members of the community who have information about the thefts to contact their nearest police station or via the anonymous Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 hotline.