International figures peak thanks to British & Irish Lions tour

INTERNATIONAL visitor arrivals from the UK and Ireland peaked at 23,400 in June thanks to the British and Irish Lions tour.  It was the highest number of combined monthly visitors to New Zealand from both countries since the last tour in June 2005.

Tourism New Zealand’s Chief Executive Stephen England-Hall says, “The Lions tour was a demonstration of exactly what we are trying to achieve - visitors travelling to different parts of the country in our off-peak months.

“It’s also a great example of why we support major events like this which bring benefits to the New Zealand economy overall and to local communities that benefit from the influx of tourists.

“A big part of the Lions tour success was down to amazing Kiwi hospitality. The incredible welcome extended to the fans that travelled the country for six weeks was manaakitanga at its very best.”

The latest data released by Statistics New Zealand today also shows strong holiday arrivals growth on the previous year from Australia (9.7%), Indonesia (48.1%), Malaysia (53.6%) and Singapore (9.0%).

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First Irish tail fin hero for Norwegian

AIRLINE Norwegian and the Crean Family have announced that Irish Antarctic explorer Tom Crean will become its first Irish tail fin hero – the explorer’s portrait will appear on the airline’s new 737MAX aircraft that will serve new transatlantic routes from Cork, Shannon and Dublin to the US East Coast this summer.

Born in County Kerry in 1877, Tom Crean joined the Royal Navy aged just 15, quickly becoming recognised as an accomplished sailor. In 1901, a chance encounter with Robert Falcon Scott saw Crean join Captain Scott’s ship ‘Discovery’ for an exploration into the unchartered Antarctica waters – it would become the first of several polar expeditions undertaken by Crean that led him to become known as one of Ireland's greatest Antarctic explorers.

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Food NI sets out its stall for local producers

FOOD NORTHERN IRELAND (Food NI) will be offering stalls to eligible producers at a dedicated pavilion at the #BBCGoodFoodShow in #Belfast later this year (October 14-16). 

The show – which will take place in Ulster for the first time – is set to attract more than 12,000 visitors from across the island of Ireland. Food NI will host a dedicated area for local producers which will allow businesses to showcase quality food and drink.

To be eligible for a stand in Food NI’s Year of Food and Drink Village, applicants must be a Northern Ireland food or drink company with products made in Ulster, using NI ingredients where possible, and sourcing, using, and promoting Northern Ireland produce.


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Picture Credit: By User:Jpatokal - Own work, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22922800