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WELLINGTON air max schweiz , June 11 (Xinhua) -- Tourism data showed Christchurch, the largest city of New Zealand's South Island, is ""back on the itinerary for many international visitors"" but some work was still needed including replenishing its accommodation stocks, Minister supporting Greater Christchurch Regeneration Nicky Wagner said on Sunday.


""With British and Irish Lions fans roaring into Christchurch this weekend, it's a good time to take stock of the local tourism sector,"" said Wagner, referring the most anticipated rugby events in the country.


""Overall http://www.airmaxbestellenschweiz.com/ , while tourism is not back at pre-quake levels, visitor numbers and accommodation capacity are increasing,"" Wagner said in a release.


""It's particularly pleasing to see annual international visitor numbers to Christchurch Airport (as at April this year) are over 500,000 for the first time since the quakes,"" she said, adding that total tourism expenditure in the greater Christchurch area was estimated at 2.3 billion NZ dollars (1.66 billion U.S. dollars) in the 12 months to April 2017.


Capacity at motels and holiday parks is almost back to pre-quake levels, but there is still some work to do in the hotel sector air max outlet schweiz , with bed numbers in March 2017 at 56 percent of 2010 numbers, according to the dashboard.


Christchurch's central city was struck hard in the quakes and a lot of building stock, including hotels, was lost, Wagner said, adding that ""it was heartening to see a number of hotels have reopened, two more are in the process of substantial refurbishment or repairs air max schweiz günstig , and new hotels are in the pipeline.""


The city has come to life this weekend with Lions fans and locals attending the game at the stadium or watching from bars and restaurants, she said.


The government is helping domestic and international visitors see Christchurch -- ""not as a broken place, but a city of opportunity,"" she said.


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MOSCOW air max schweiz schweiz , Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Russia is at the final stage of preparations for the Sochi Olympics, and Russian athletes feel rather confident at their home ground, head of the country's Olympic Committee Alexander Zhukov has said.


"It is always a pleasure to compete in your native country as spectators really support you. And our athletes have been training at the Olympic race tracks and stadiums," Zhukov told Xinhua in a recent interview.


Zhukov said the Russian team includes a number of world and Olympic champions including Evgeni Plushenko, who has undergone a surgery ahead of the Olympics.


"He (Plushenko) is very brave. He found courage to overcome all the injuries and get ready for the upcoming Olympics," Zhukov added.


For Albert Demchenko, the Sochi Games will be his seventh Olympics air max herren schweiz , which will be a record, Zhukov noted.


The Russian team also includes young talent, Zhukov said.


"In figure skating there are European winners," he said. "One of them is Lepnitskaya, the youngest in our team at 15. There are also many ice hockey stars known to the entire world, such as Ovechkin, Malkin and Datsuk air max damen schweiz , the best players loved not only by Russia, but also by other countries."


According to him, winter sports are very popular in Russia, and the country holds various mass competitions with lots of children and adults participating.


"Traditionally, we love figure skating, hockey, skiing and biathlon. Many children go in for winter sports. That is why they grow into famous athletes."


The competition "Ski-run of Russia air max schuhe schweiz ," for example, is usually held across the country where several millions of people simultaneously take part in.


Zhukov said it was important for Russia to hold large-scale sports events such as the Olympic Games, the Kazan Universiade and the World Athletics Championships. These events "attract public attention and make sports more popular among young people," he said.


Also, new stadiums and facilities are being built for major sports events, with more money being invested into the sector, which help promote the development of sports in Russia air max schweiz bestellen , he added.


As for sports cooperation between Russia