Waimarino Group's unique glow worm kayaking tour is one of a number of Bay of Plenty tourism attractions at TRENZ 2017.

Running this week, TRENZ is the $35 billion New Zealand tourism industry's premier international trade show, with more than 370 trade and tourism buyers attending this year's event in Auckland.

Among the hundreds of stallholders will be Bay of Plenty tourism operators Frontier Helicopters, Mataatua Te Manuka Tutahi, Trinity Wharf Hotel, White Island Tours and Waimarino Group.

Championing the Bay of Plenty during the three-day event will be Waimarino Group director Blair Anderson who has been invited to speak alongside many of New Zealand's leading tourism professionals.

A TRENZ attendee for the past seven years, Blair will discuss the company's glow worm kayaking tours (Waimarino Kayak Tours) and the Bay of Plenty as part of a panel promoting ‘New products off the beaten track – under the night sky'.

And it is a proposition he is looking forward to - not only in illustrating the concept's sustainability, but helping highlight the huge opportunity for tourism operators in the natural space.

A totally unique attraction, the guided glow worm tour is the only place in New Zealand where glow worms can be found in a concentrated mass. On average 3000 people witness the natural phenomenon per year with people coming from Australia, North America, South America, India and Europe, including Liechtenstein – the sixth smallest country in the world.

'I'm very excited to speak not only about Waimarino Group's glow worm kayaking tours but help promote the Bay of Plenty to an audience of dedicated tourism buyers,” says Blair.

'The Bay of Plenty is considered off the beaten track on the international stage. But we are within an hour's easy drive from popular attractions of the likes of Hobbiton and the Coromandel and trade show visitors will be made aware of this.”

Tourism Bay of Plenty CEO Kristin Dunne says TRENZ is invaluable in boosting the Bay of Plenty's tourism appeal and attracting more international visitors.

'TRENZ is a showcase event on the tourism calendar and the optimal environment to provide the industry with more than just a snapshot of what the Bay of Plenty can offer," she says.

Leading in to TRENZ, Tourism Bay of Plenty has this week hosted travel agents from Korea and India, with feedback being the Bay of Plenty ticks all their tourism needs. Another group of international travel agents are expected to visit after TRENZ.

Kristin says over the next two days Tourism Bay of Plenty will engage with hundreds of influencers who determine the travel activity for thousands of travellers and it is exciting to be a part of this.

She adds that insights about international travellers and what they are looking for are "extremely valuable" in today's tourism sector.

'Attracting people who have the ability to travel anywhere in the world is challenging as well as very competitive," she says.

"Which is why such international exposure is key to increasing the number of international visitors, their length of stay and their spend in our area.”