Chris Prudden said the Covid-19 pandemic and closure of the borders had taken away up to 90% of the industry's business. Some guiding companies had stopped operating, others were hibernating and the rest were getting by with very few clients, he said. ''Mountaineering tourism has taken a huge, huge hit.'' ''But most have sat tight in New Zealand, and thought 'I'm going to wait' and do whatever comes along. ''There are a lot of people out there who've got the money, who've got the drive, who want to go mountaineering in New Zealand.''

Source: Otago Daily Times November 26, 2021 16:37 UTC