23,400 visitors from outside the region<\/a>, according to economic impact research.<\/p>\nIt generated 87,881 visitor nights and almost $9.75 million in visitor spending.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis proves that when you\u2019re a little bit creative and think outside of the box, we absolutely can cater for all the people we need to,\u201d Schischka said.<\/p>\n
She said the event had been \u201cfortunate\u201d to have surplus accommodation during Aims Games week since 2023.<\/p>\n
![\"Zespri]()
Zespri Aims Games tournament director Kelly Schischka. Photo \/ Jamie Troughton<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there\u2019s very much that perception from back in the day where there wasn\u2019t enough accommodation, but we have streamlined that process.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beyonder, Aims\u2019 official accommodation provider \u2013 or \u201caccommodation matchmakers\u201d, as Schischka calls them \u2013 saw bookings as early as November.<\/p>\n
Beyonder manages holiday homes across Mount Maunganui and P\u0101p\u0101moa, matching visitors with home owners offering their properties as accommodation.<\/p>\n
Owner-director Hayley Saunders said the Aims Games were consistently one of the \u201cstrongest periods\u201d for Beyonder. <\/p>\n
\u201cThrough this service, 119 additional homes have registered with Beyonder for Aims Games, adding significant accommodation capacity to the market.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saunders said the event was more than a busy week on the accommodation calendar.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity to showcase our homes, support local home owners, work alongside the event organisers and introduce thousands of visitors to the Bay of Plenty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aims Games \u2018belongs here\u2019<\/p>\n
Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan said the Aims Games signalled the start of the region\u2019s main visitor season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe timing of this tournament is ideal, from a business capacity and sustainability point of view, because it motivates visitors to travel here during our shoulder spring season.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said demand for accommodation had been strong, with commercial accommodation indexing above 90% across five nights of the tournament.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a key reason why the Zespri Aims Games is such a significant tournament for our region \u2013 it belongs here.<\/p>\n
![\"Tourism]()
Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt also gives participants a glimpse of what our region has to offer, which will hopefully inspire them to visit again at a later date.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tauranga City Council event development manager Michelle Stevens said events like the Aims Games strengthened local identity.<\/p>\n
\u201c[They] enhance community pride and belonging, generate economic benefit, and help position Tauranga as a vibrant, welcoming and eventful city.\u201d<\/p>\n
The council has scaled back roadworks during the week and partnered with Bay of Plenty Regional Council to provide loop buses.<\/p>\n
Stevens said the Aims Games had become part of Tauranga\u2019s \u201cstory\u201d, it was an example of the lasting value \u201cgreat events\u201d could create for a city and it \u201cis one of Tauranga\u2019s flagship events\u201d.<\/p>\n
Tauranga Mayor Mah\u00e9 Drysdale said the Aims Games were a highlight of the city\u2019s events calendar, which Tauranga had \u201cproudly\u201d hosted for more than two decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat started as a local initiative has grown into the largest junior sporting event in Australasia, and that\u2019s a remarkable achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Maddie]()
Maddie James (left), a student from Te Puke Intermediate, speaking with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (right) and Tauranga Mayor Mah\u00e9 Drysdale last year. Photo \/ Alan Gibson<\/p>\n
Drysdale\u2019s message to athletes was simple: make the most of the experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive it your all, enjoy the competition, support your teammates, have fun, and create memories that will stay with you long after the Games are over.\u201d<\/p>\n
Event Week<\/p>\n
September 5: 21st Zespri Aims Games opens<\/p>\n
September 6: Opening Ceremonies, Mercury Baypark Arena. First show 3pm, second show 7pm.<\/p>\n
Under Lights Series (finals)<\/p>\n
Hip-hop finals (ticketed event): September 5, 4pm to 9pm, Mercury Baypark Arena.<\/p>\n
Hockey: September 8, 4pm to 8pm, Tauranga Hockey Centre, Blake Park.<\/p>\n
Netball: September 9, 3.30pm to 7.30pm, Tauranga Netball Centre, Blake Park.<\/p>\n
Rip Rugby: September 10, 4pm to 8pm, Bay Oval.<\/p>\n
September 11: Aims Games closes.<\/p>\n
Kaitlyn Morrell<\/a> is a journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It marks the third consecutive year that Aims has exceeded the athlete numbers at the 2024 Paris Olympic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":588290,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[2246,4886,95,219,2082,6489,4380,111,139,69,1118,381,1551,213,223,2742,9717],"class_list":["post-588289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-2246","tag-aims","tag-and","tag-economy","tag-for","tag-games","tag-millions","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-of","tag-region","tag-set","tag-sports","tag-the","tag-thousands","tag-visitors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=588289"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588289\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/588290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=588289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=588289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=588289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}