The economy of New Zealand continues to get a boost thanks to the regional tourism industry of the country.
The tourism spending over the summer have continued rising in a many regions and it has resulted in increased employment here, as revealed by Paula Bennett, the Tourism Minister.
The Monthly Regional Tourism Estimates published by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said that Nelson was the fastest growing area in New Zealand in January 2017 since it witnessed 14% higher revenues that reached to $344 million.
The region was followed by the West Coast that had registered 13% higher tourism revenues that reached to nearly $495 million.
It was closely followed by Otago that saw up to 11% rise to about $3.5 billion. During January 2017, the fastest growing areas were Tasman that recorded 19% growth to $62 million and Northland that recorded a rise of 14% to $152 million and closely following at its heels was West Coast that saw a rise of 14% to reach $71 million.
Mrs. Bennett said that the regional and international tourism has been instrumental in creating immense value for New Zealand, especially since tourism industry is responsible for offering employment opportunities to 180,000 people in 2016.
She went on to add that the employees, tourism operators and people of this country deserve to be congratulated for successfully leveraging the golden opportunities provided by the tourism sector. Last week the International Visitor Survey indicated that the tourism spending had reached $10.1 billion in the year to December 2016.
This confirms that the tourism sector is quite crucial for the economy of New Zealand.
The government of the nation, she feels would play a significant role in supporting the tourism sector and also be able to manage the challenges that are inevitable companions of a rapidly growing industry.
She has stated that the government has also been investing in the infrastructure across the board to support visitors and it includes $17.2 million for fibre in Marlborough, Tasman and Nelson. It has also been estimated that $221 might be invested by the government for ensuring roading improvements in the top of the South Island.
Finally, she concluded by saying that the North Canterbury region of the country continues to bear the brunt of the earthquake that hit the region last November. And, she thinks, though the tourism spending has started recovering slightly, the government of New Zealand continues to market the region globally.
