International tourism continues its slow recovery from pre-Covid levels

Overseas visitor arrivals were at three-point-23-million for the year to September, which is up on the same month last year, but well below 2019's almost four-million.

ASB Senior economist Mark Smith says part of our struggles include the global economy still recovering from Covid.

He says the most important reason is that costs remain stubbornly high -- New Zealand's a reasonably expensive destination, and airfares are still very high.