MY post last Friday regarding the pandemic and whether we'd be looking at the finish line or eyeing up more of a marathon effort was put in context by increase in "levels" for Auckland and the rest of the country following the community transmission outbreak.
It also raised the speculation as to when (or if) the pandemic will be sufficiently controlled as to allow international tourism to resume.
A reader of the column sent me the following stats to confirm just how important tourism is to Aotearoa and why it's essential the world-wide vaccination process is accelerated.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism made a huge contribution to the New Zealand economy:
- Total annual tourism expenditure was $41.9 billion – $115 million per day.
- Annual international tourism expenditure was $17.5 billion – $48 million per day.
- Annual domestic tourism expenditure was $24.4 billion – $67 million per day.
- Total annual tourism expenditure had increased by almost $15 billion, or 55%, in the past seven years. Tourism was New Zealand’s biggest export industry, contributing 20.1% of total exports.
- Tourism generated a direct annual contribution to GDP of $16.4 billion, or 5.5%, and a further indirect contribution of $11.3 billion, another 3.8% of New Zealand’s total GDP.
- 225,384 people are directly and another 158,802 indirectly employed in tourism in New Zealand – 13.6% of the total number of people employed in New Zealand.
- The annual GST paid by tourists is $3.9 billion, including $1.8 billion collected from international visitors
PRE-SEASON training is in full swing.
On a sticky night on Auckland's Gold Coast I watched a local team labouring through their paces as I was out wandering.
It looked tough.
There was plenty of sighing, double teapots and frequent swigging of the water bottles. It's not meant to be too much fun at this time of the year and it didn't look like it.
Once I got home I reached for "Rugby on Attack" by All Blacks great Ron Jarden. Published 60 years ago by the visionary wonder winger it is an enlightening read.
Jarden - who was ahead of his time as an analytical thinker of the game - had the final chapter of the book titled "Coaching, Captaincy and Training". As part of that he had some fascinating insights into pre-season training.
He writes that "long slogging runs up hills and along bitumen roads, for as far as four or five miles" serve no purpose for the backs.
"I cannot imagine anything worse for them. Especially in the early part of the year they should be concentrating on developing speed and nimbleness. Slow work develops slow players. Backs should never run slowly at practice. "
Jarden - who must always come into the conversation regarding the ultimate All Blacks XV - also reiterated the concept that a "rugby ball should be present."
"From the very first session players should be handling and passing, catching and kicking - learning to get the feel of the ball again.
One cannot over-estimate the importance of training with the ball at all times. Most certainly backs have not trained if they have not handled the ball during a training session."
Note: There will be more from Rugby on Attack over the course of the year.
