NEW ZEALAND Tourism officials are warning tourists not to go to parts of New Zealand that have seen a recent spike in the number of people seeking refuge in its remote forests.
“New Zealand has been the hot spot for tourism, with a very significant increase in the numbers of visitors,” New Zealand’s Tourism and Sport Council said in a statement.
New Zealand is one of a number of countries that has seen an influx of people from the European Union in recent months.
The EU, which was founded in 1961, is currently in the process of deciding whether to extend the free movement of people into the 28-nation bloc, or if it will keep the EU membership.
Many EU countries are currently in discussions with Britain over the terms of its withdrawal from the bloc.
Tourists are concerned about the possible impacts of Brexit on tourism, which is the mainstay of New Zeland’s economy.
A survey published by the Tourism Council earlier this year found that New Zealand had seen a rise in people seeking asylum in its interior.
In the latest census, more than one in 10 of the country’s 5,800 people were foreign-born, with the number rising to 13.5 percent in 2016, compared with 9.7 percent in the previous year.
