With more than 200,000 visitors expected to be welcomed on NZ shores this summer, it's setting up to be an exciting and busy season for Bay of Plenty hospitality businesses that have felt the crunch after an almost three-year hiatus.

Earlier this year, Tauranga locals welcomed the first of more than 100 cruise ships to arrive this season, with an estimated 3500 passengers and 1300 staff on board.

And according to William and Sarah Crosby, owners of popular Mount Maunganui café The General, they are more than prepared to welcome passengers with open arms.

"We're delighted to welcome cruise ships again, especially after an unusually long hiatus following the pandemic,” says William.

Indeed, the season promises to be the busiest since 2019, which is a welcome and positive outlook for businesses, especially in the hospitality sector.

'We have definitely felt the crunch following lockdowns, and even recently with staff shortages. But sticking to our guns has put us in an amazing position and we are ready for summer.”

William says one of the more challenging aspects of running a hospitality business during the past two years has been to plan growth and determine how we would be able to meet increased demand once the borders opened up and tourists started streaming in.

'We've already seen an uptick of visitors and it's been great to test our capacity and ability to keep up with the increasing demand. For us, it's always a priority to ensure customers are happy and especially that the food and service we put out is of consistently high quality, especially for our returning local customers.”

While William admits the industry will take a while to return to the glory of its post-Covid years, he says many businesses either pivoted or rebounded well, and he feels confident that they have systems in place to meet the demand and hopefully give business owners, as well as tourists and hospitality workers the confidence that the industry so desperately needs.

'Unfortunately we can't promise anything good weather-wise, so here's hoping for the best. But The General is just a few hundred metres away, so we're welcoming everyone to swap a rainy walk around the Mount for a warm and comforting barista-made coffee or an indulgent Smash burger,” says William.