Tourism Bay of Plenty's plea for $600,000 from the Tauranga City Council to counter damage to the local hospitality industry done by the Rena, failed.

But the council has agreed to recommend in its Ten Year Plan that it lobby on behalf of Tourism BOP with the Rena's charterers, who have promised $1.1 million, defray Rena imposed expenses and hardships.

Worldwide broadcast of images like this of debris from the Rena wreck washed up on Bay of Plenty beaches are the motivation of Tourism BOP's plea for council assistance. Photo: Maritime New Zealand.

The decision was made at Monday's Ten Year Plan meeting with the recommendation to go out for public consultation.

Tourism BOP chairman Paul Bowker says they have to act immediately to counter the deluge of negative publicity the Bay of Plenty and its tourism operators are suffering.

He says 70 per cent of the region's tourism operators say Rena has had an adverse affect on their business over the summer holiday period.

Tourism BOP recovery campaign manager Linda Macpherson agreed that could be partly attributed to the weather, and conceded that some accommodation providers have done well out of the Rena grounding through housing the hundreds of Maritime New Zealand staff and contractors in town for the disaster aftermath.

Councillors were sympathetic, but said they have no money.

Councillor Wayne Moultrie asked how he was going to explain to a struggling elderly Papamoa ratepayer that the council was giving some of her rates away to prop up businesses.

The impact of the Rena has forced one marine operator to close, says Linda.

Another reports losing $50,000.

The Rena is blamed for an accommodation provider losing $148,000, a grocery retailer reports losing $109,000.

A sports event organiser lost $15,000 and another accommodation provider lost $9000.

But while Linda decried the media treatments of the Rena disaster, Councillor Larry Baldock reminded her that the numbers being provided will also become part of the bad Rena publicity.

He also challenged her comparison of the Rena impact with the Exxon Valdez and the Prestige oil tanker disasters, saying there was only 300 tonnes of oil on local beaches, not an oil tanker load.

Councillor Bill Grainger says the other side of the Rena publicity is that it is putting Tauranga on the map for people all around the world.

'Don't you think we can use that for something?”

Councillor Catherine Stewart moved the application for funding be declined.

Mayor Stuart Crosby amended it to offering other help, like speaking with the charters.

Tourism BOP is a council controlled organisation jointly funded by the Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council.

Speaking after the meeting, Paul Bowker says Tourism BOP has no mandate to act on its own behalf with the Rena's principals; the charterers, owners, insurers.