Rotorua has been named among the top 10 trending global destinations by major travel website Booking.com.

It comes as the tourism hotspot’s business community anticipates positive year ahead, with more than 100 companies across 20 industries seeing visitors returning to the city.

Booking.com looked at customer bookings for travel in the coming two years over the 12 months to the end of July.

The top 1000 most-booked places were ranked by year-over-year increase.

Rotorua ranked in the top 10 alongside sister-city Beppu in Japan - which Mayor Tania Tapsell will visit next year.

Tapsell says she's stoked to see Rotorua named a top trending destinations.

“This is a huge boost of confidence that Rotorua continues to be a world-class destination.

“It was interesting seeing findings 74 per cent of people feel relaxed around water, with our beautiful lakes and uniquely-Rotorua geothermal it’s no wonder we’ve placed so highly.”

Tapsell congratulates Beppu, a fellow geothermal destination, on its rating.

When her visit there was approved last month Tapsell told Local Democracy Reporting it was an opportunity to remind potential visitors Rotorua was “back in business” for tourists.

Rotorua has been named in the top 10 trending destinations on Booking.com. Photo / Felix Desmarais.

Booking.com Oceania regional manager Todd Lacey says with an array of fantastic accommodation, attractions and experiences, Rotorua is hitting the global stage as international travel continued to return to Aotearoa.

Tourism and economic development agency RotoruaNZ brand and marketing manager Haydn Marriner is thrilled by the international recognition.

“This amazing accolade adds to the international recognition for Rotorua, following an earlier acknowledgment by Forbes Magazine as one of the Top 50 places to visit in 2023.”

He says it's a result of hard work by local tourism operators.

Among international awards received in the last year were Trip Advisor Award recipients, such as world’s best nature tour Rotorua Canopy Tours - visited this month by superstar Sam Smith - and Polynesian Spa, which secured three awards at the World Luxury Spa Awards 2023.

He says the accolades reflect operators’ “relentless positivity and drive”.

Marriner says The Business Pulse Survey results, released on Thursday, mirrored this positivity, indicating a strong belief within the business community the tourism sector is on the rise.

“Rotorua invites all of New Zealand to come and experience the best attractions, activities, and people for the best summer ever.

“The forward-looking data gives us great optimism that Rotorua is on the rise, and we are proud of the work of our local people who have all contributed to this success and for being positive about our place and our future.”

RotoruaNZ and the Rotorua Business Chamber jointly conduct the business survey twice a year.

The fourth edition was published to a new interactive dashboard on its website .

Asked what they are most positive about for the next 12 months, tourism recovery is the most popular answer at 44 per cent.

Comments from the survey were posted anonymously and included noting more visitors in town, including from overseas, and highlighting freshly completed public areas like the lakefront.

Others mentioned the city’s “beautiful natural assets” and an increase in visitor accommodation, such as motels, switched back from emergency housing.

The report says economic confidence is flat compared to a year ago but there's a huge jump looking out a year, seemingly driven by the change in government and the return of international tourists.

It also notes cost pressures remain but profitability is expected to rise, leading to an increased appetite for capital investment and improved hiring intentions.

Finding skilled staff remains a top concern but has dropped with immigration starting to ease staffing pressures.

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.