Prime Minister John Key JK was there in his role as Minister of Tourism. Photo / Greg Bowker
I had dinner with the Prime Minister last week. Granted, there were 298 other people in the room and we were at separate tables, but let's not allow the truth to stand in the way of a good story.
The occasion was the 2016 Tourism Industry Awards (TIAs) and JK
was there not only as our PM, but also in his role as Minister of Tourism.
It's a pretty cushy portfolio to have. New Zealand's international visitor numbers are booming, but the minister can't take all the credit. It's thanks to the people working at the coalface - and down the Hobbit Hole, helming the jet boat, skiing the mountain, running the hotel - that the country is such a desirable place to visit.
In his welcoming speech at the TIAs, Key talked about consistency being the important factor in our tourism industry's future. How it's not necessarily about continuing to grow our visitor numbers, but instead making sure visitors want to return.
Numbers are probably not something we need to worry about over the next few months. Cruise season has now kicked off and we will be welcoming a multitude of big white ships to our ports throughout the summer.
