Infometrics senior economist Brad Olsen told a Venture Taranaki sponsored breakfast meeting he was optimistic Taranaki would be in a "better place" in 2022. The Taranaki economy has performed above expectations since lockdown but challenges still exist around skills shortage and youth unemployment, business leaders have been told. Taranaki had its biggest summer ever in tourist spending, ranking among the top three regions for January, Venture Taranaki chief executive Justin Gilliland​ told 140 people attending the Brekonomics​ meeting. The same figures showed in the past 12 months tourists had spent $211m in Taranaki, Gilliland said. Tennent said Taranaki was “very fortunate” it was able to attract domestic tourists, and the events sector was important to attracting visitors.

Source: Stuff March 09, 2021 01:41 UTC