Backpacker numbers are booming in Tauranga as more European and South American travellers visit the region.

Backpacker facilities across the Western Bay of Plenty are reporting an increase in the number of these nationalities from November 2013.

Kiwi Corral owner Bernie Cotter and manager Wes Archer, helping German tourists Ludwig and Sissi. Photo by Tracy Hardy.

Tauranga Central Backpackers owner Darryl Herbert says more and more of his guests are from Europe and South America.

'I've only had this business for the last 12 months; and in the year we've had large amounts of Brazilian, Chilean and Argentinian people come here.

'For November-December, we had huge amounts of Germans; and there are still a lot of them around.

'Figures are definitely on the rise; it's [the Bay of Plenty] becoming a more popular place to come to and they are coming in larger numbers.”

Darryl's 60-bed facility was fully booked during November and December 2013 – forcing him to turn away 10-20 people daily, while this month's bookings are at 90 per cent capacity.

Overall, more backpackers are coming to the region, says Darryl, who partly puts this down to social networking.

'We ask them ‘how did you find out about us' and basically the ones that have been here, in my opinion, have gone home and are all on Facebook or Skyping – they tell people it's a great place.

'I noticed their stays in the Bay are increasing in length too – instead of staying days at a time, they're staying weeks.”

Kiwi Corral Country Backpackers at Te Puke has seen its stays increase by more than 400 per cent during the last two months compared to November and December in 2012.

Bernie Cotter, who has taken over ownership of the 350-bed facility, says he's 'absolutely surprised” at the huge jump in figures but can pinpoint where they've come from.

Together with manager Wes Archer, Bernie's been re-branding the facility as a country hostel and backpackers to capture backpackers wanting a rural experience in New Zealand.

Bernie says Kiwi Corral is now getting loads of European and South American backpackers – along with others from around the globe – no matter what month it is.

'They come to work and play; a lot of the local contractors and orchardists ring us and we find them workers from our visitors.

'These people are from all over Europe and South America; Germans this year were definitely the dominate ones. Its starts with one and then we ask: ‘Where do all your mates come from?'

'I think what they like here in Te Puke is the quietness – they're also right in the middle of the region, so they can go to the Mount, Rotorua, do the white-water rafting and all sorts.”

Bernie says Kiwi Corral is also seeing a growing number of older travellers.

'We're getting the up-to-50s coming through now – it's not just the teeny boppers, so that's interesting.”

Mount Backpackers owner Stewart Fleming says his 40-bed facility has been fully booked since December– and a large proportion of bookings are made by Germans.

Stewart says last October 32 per cent of guests were German, and next highest was New Zealanders at 15 per cent.

Last November Mount Backpackers' bookings had 27 per cent Germans, December had 29 per cent and this month has 36 per cent, with Kiwis making up about 14-15 per cent in all three months.

'At least one-third of our guests are German.”

Eugene Maua'i Iosefa Leuta, owner of Appletree Backpackers in Otumoetai, says 75 per cent of guests were German backpackers in December.

'Currently, about 35 per cent are Germans, 50 per cent are South Americans and 15 per cent are other [nationalities].”

'The South Americans usually come in for the picking/packing jobs from now and stay on until around September or Dececember, if they do re-pack as well.

'Germans come in at the end of the school year, when turning 18 – most of them up to one-year visitors on working holiday status. About 90 per cent of them return about March-May-April.”