06 March 2001 Media Statement

Great start to the year for Tourism industry

The Minister of Tourism Mark Burton says the latest international visitor arrival figures illustrate that the tourism boom is continuing.

Figures from Statistics New Zealand show that almost 198,000 visitors arrived in New Zealand in January, a substantial increase of 18 percent on the previous January.

"It's a great way to start the year," Mark Burton said.

"Last year international arrivals contributed an estimated $4.7 billion to the New Zealand economy – an increase of $837 million on the year before.

"The January figures indicate that we can expect an even stronger performance in 2001.

"The mood in the industry is very positive and I am pleased with the enthusiastic involvement of tourism operators in the current development of a New Zealand Tourism Strategy," Mark Burton said.

The New Zealand Tourism Strategy is a joint project between the Government and private sector interests. The first draft of the Strategy document is due to be completed by the end of the month.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>