Tourist spending in the Bay of Plenty was an estimated $1.6 billion for the year to June 2016, according to new data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

Figures from the latest MBIE's Monthly Regional Tourism Estimates released today shows tourist spending was up by seven per cent when compared with the year to June 2015.

Figures from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's latest Monthly Regional Tourism Estimates show tourist spending in the Bay of Plenty was an estimated $1.6 billion for the year to June 2016. File Photo.

MBIE Sector Trends manager Peter Ellis says of that spend in the year to June 2016, international visitors spent $493 million (up six per cent) while domestic tourists spent $1.1b (up seven per cent).

'When it comes to the monthly expenditure, tourism spend in Bay of Plenty for the month of June 2016 is up 17 per cent compared with the month of June 2015," says Peter.

Of the 16 regions covered in the report, the Bay ranked fifth behind Auckland ($6.7b), Otago ($3.2b), Waikato ($2.2b) and Wellington ($2.2b) in the year to June 2016.

Domestic tourists visiting the Bay forked out the most cash with a little over $1.b spent. Of the international tourists, Aussies spent the most with $128m, followed by UK tourists with $61m, and Chinese visitors with $56m.

Retailers selling items like clothing, footwear or toiletries were the big winners, with tourists spending $426m, followed by premises serving food and beverages with $236m, while alcohol, food, and beverages retailers (liquor stores and supermarkets) came in third with $179m.

'Tourism spend information for the regions helps inform investment and planning in the tourism industry by providing further insight into where both domestic and international tourists are spending their money,” says Peter.

To view the full statistics from the Monthly Regional Tourism Estimates visit the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment website.