Bay of Plenty of less than $20,000, compared with 43.2% of people nationally. Unemployment was at 6.1% of people 15 years or older, compared with 5.1% nationally. The Bay of Plenty is a popular holiday destination due to the warm and sunny summer climate and public beaches. The Bay of Plenty received over 645,000 tourists in 2003, equivalent to one in three visitors to New Zealand coming to the region. Rotorua is a popular destination for international visitors, in particular the surrounding geothermal areas and Māori cultural centres. Tauranga is a popular domestic tourism destination, and also becoming popular internationally. Whale watching has
Radio Bay of Plenty independent local programming and news coverage for the Bay of Plenty with a specific focus on the eastern part of the region. The stations carry and contributes to national news bulletins produced by NZME Radio through Newstalk ZB. One Double X began broadcasting to the Eastern Bay Of Plenty on 1240 kHz at 10:30 am on 30 June 1971. The original company name was Radio Whakatane but changed to Radio Bay Of Plenty in 1978 when the station's AM frequency also changed to 1242 kHz. In the mid-late 1970s 1XX 1240 was also known on air from time to time