Bay of Plenty's hoping its position as a popular destination will hold up for the rest of summer

Domestic visitor numbers have been down this holiday season - with the week to 31 December seeing 18-percent less people in the region than the year before.

Bay of Plenty Tourism chief executive Kristin Dunne says it's only really been this peak period.

She says numbers had actually been better than normal in the months beforehand.

Dunne is expecting a similar situation through February and March.