International tourism continues its slow recovery to pre-Covid levels. 

Overseas visitor arrivals were at 3.23 million for the year to September, which is up on the same month last year, but well below 2019's almost 4 million. 

ASB Senior economist Mark Smith told Ryan Bridge that part of our struggle is that 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. 

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