| If the past fortnight has shown us anything, it is the immense fortitude and positive spirit of New Zealanders and our ability to show international visitors a good time. It is fair to say that sleeping in a community hall was not on the itinerary of the 55 tourists who found themselves trapped in Whataroa and Haast by ex-Cyclone Gita, however, the manaakitanga shown by locals and the Rapid Relief Team on the West Coast helped create a positive atmosphere in an otherwise desolate situation. As an industry, we cannot control the weather, but we can adjust how we deal with events to ensure positive experiences for both visitors and locals. In another display of fortitude and positivity the latest Monthly Regional Tourism estimates released by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) show Kaikoura continues to recover from the 2016 earthquake, with spend in January 2018 up 96 percent on January 2017. All regions showed improved visitor spend for the year ending January 2018, in particular Tasman and West Coast. The Government's Provincial Growth Fund, announced last week, will likely improve these results further over the coming years as tourism ventures are strengthened in the regions. This month New Zealand's positive spirit has also been on display on the water, with two spectacular maritime events. In Auckland we will welcome the leaders of the Volvo Ocean Race as they continue their circumnavigation of the globe, and in Wellington Harbour last week we welcomed a fleet of waka whose arrival marked the start of the New Zealand Festival.  | | At both events Tourism New Zealand is creating and capturing content to share the stories of the people, boats, festivities and positive experiences with our international community. Ngā mihi, | Stephen England-Hall Chief Executive, Tourism New Zealand | | | | |
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