26 July 2005
Media Statement
Bathhouse gets government grant for viewing promenade

Tourism Minister Mark Burton tonight announced a $105,000 Tourism Facilities Grant towards the construction costs of a viewing promenade at the Rotorua Bathhouse.

The Bathhouse, a Category One historic building, has played an important role in the history of tourism in New Zealand, Mark Burton said.

The restoration project would enhance the building's architectural character and restore it closer to its original condition, Mark Burton said.

The original viewing promenade was removed for safety reasons following the 1931 Napier earthquake. The platform will provide views of the Museum gardens, Lake Rotorua, Mokoia Island, Sulphur Point and Mt Tarawera.

"The project will complement previous upgrade and restoration work undertaken at the Bathhouse, the home of the Rotorua Museum of Art and History and give visitors a greater appreciation of the architectural qualities of the Bathhouse," Mark Burton said.

"This is great news for Rotorua. The Bathhouse is an iconic tourist attraction for Rotorua. Last year it attracted 103,664 visitors, almost half of them international visitors," Rotorua MP Steve Chadwick said.

"We're very proud of the role it plays in helping to keep Rotorua as a leading tourist destination," she said.

Mark Burton noted that the Rotorua Museum of Art and History had won five New Zealand Tourism Awards since 2000, including Best Culture and Heritage Attraction for three successive years and a Distinction Award in 2003.

The Tourism Facilities Grants Programme, administered by the Ministry of Tourism, aims to enhance overseas visitors' understanding and enjoyment of New Zealand through increasing the quality and number of nationally significant tourism facilities.

Mark Burton was in Rotorua to launch phase 2 of the Sustainable Tourism Project.

ENDS

© Scoop Media