Towns that tourism forgot: The uneven impact of the covid recession

Towns that tourism forgot: The uneven impact of the covid recession
Main Street, Patea, South Taranaki
Andy Fyers
This article has been republished. It was first published in August 2020.If the numbers are any guide, an international tourist on the streets of Hawera, Patea or Opunake is indeed a rare sight.In fact, spending by international tourists in the South Taranaki District is equivalent to less than half of one percent of the district's GDP, lower than any other part of New Zealand. In the midst of a recession driven by the disappearance of NZ's largest export earner, places like South Taranaki are feeling less of the fallout. Thro...

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