The turnaround in output is expected in the major sectors for wholesale and retail, construction, mining and quarrying, hotels and restaurants, manufacturing, education, fishing and finance, all of which declined last year. Not with standing the weak turnaround in overall output forecast for this year, performances in some of our major sectors so far have been encouraging. Tourism has recovered very strongly.
Visitor arrivals are higher by around 20 percent compared to the last two years. The tourism industry is clearly on track to achieve its targeted 600,000 record arrivals for the year. Activity in the mining and export sectors is also encouraging. Exports, particularly of gold, fish, mineral water and timber, continue to gain momentum, supported by favourable commodity prices.