Aussie & NZ travel corridor opens up for Easter holiday
Great news for travellers who've been shut out of NZ for 2 years, as borders reopen for Autumn/Winter season
Kia ora cobber! New Zealand tourism industry is thrilled with plans to welcome back international visitors. The soon-to-be opening of the border to Australians without the requirement to self-isolate is a vital step towards NZ recovery and will open up the travel corridor between the two countries.
NZ Tourism operators are looking forward to welcoming international manuhiri, following the announcement that New Zealand’s borders are reopening to many international travellers.
“After around 730 days of pain in the two years since our international borders closed, tourism operators finally have confirmation they can get back to business,” Tourism Industry Aotearoa Communications Manager, Ann-Marie Johnson says.
“Tourism was the first industry to be affected by the pandemic and will be the last to recover. Tourism operators both large and small have made huge sacrifices but can now focus on rebuilding their businesses,” Ms Johnson says.
TIA is grateful that the Government has listened to our advocacy on behalf of our members and brought forward the border reopening dates.
Australian visitors, who have traditionally been New Zealand’s biggest market, will be able to return from 11.59 pm on 12 April, coinciding with their school holiday period and the Easter break. Visitors from visa-waiver countries including the USA, UK, Japan, Germany, Korea and Singapore, will be able to enter from 11.59 pm on 1 May.
“We hope the announcement will give some Australian families time to book their holiday travel. But looking further ahead, it will definitely be a huge boost for our ski season,” Ms Johnson says.
Although borders will be open to many travellers from the rest of the world over the coming weeks, it is anticipated that there will be a gradual rather than a rapid recovery during 2022, she says.
The most important aspect of today’s announcement is that it provides certainty for travellers to plan ahead and make their bookings, and for tourism operators to prepare their businesses, hire staff and renew contact with their international markets.
Many parts of the tourism industry operate to long lead times. Airlines and the cruise sector, in particular, are finalising their schedules and selling itineraries for next summer.
TIA’s Tourism Industry Roadmap suggests that it could be 2024 before the industry reaches its ‘new normal.
The industry has been working hard over the last two years to ensure it builds back sustainably and attracts high-quality visitors.
“We are ready to get back to contributing to Aotearoa and New Zealanders, not only economically but also by bringing vibrancy and diversity to our communities,” Ms Johnson says.
Destination Queenstown, Queenstown Airport and Lake Wanaka Tourism say they are ready and waiting to welcome Aussies back!
Queenstown Airport and regional tourism organisations Destination Queenstown and Lake Wānaka Tourism are delighted by the announcement that the New Zealand border will reopen to Australian visitors.
Queenstown Airport CEO, Glen Sowry says this is the news we have been waiting for. We can’t wait to welcome Australians to the Southern Lakes region through Queenstown Airport soon.
The opening of the border to Australians without the requirement to self-isolate is a vital step towards the region’s recovery.
Sowry expects to see a gradual return of direct flights from the east coast of Australia to Queenstown over the next two months, traditionally a quieter season in the Southern Lakes region, while airlines and border agencies gear up for a busy ski season.
“We are working closely with our four airline partners and the border agencies to ensure a smooth reopening here at Queenstown,” he said.
“Prior to the pandemic, 30 percent of all passengers at Queenstown Airport arrived and departed on trans-Tasman flights, so Australia is a really important market for us,” adds Sowry.
The trans-Tasman flight schedule is expected to be updated regularly over the coming weeks.
Destination Queenstown Board Chair, Richard Thomas says this is the best news we’ve had in two years and is a huge relief for local businesses.
“We are open and ready to welcome our Aussie friends here in time for the Easter holidays and during Autumn, one of the most beautiful times of the year. There is pent-up demand from the Australian market and we know they are keen to visit Queenstown.”
“DQ has been preparing for this moment and is set to go live with consumer marketing activity in the Australian market from this Friday. We will be showcasing all that the region has on offer and encouraging Aussies to book with confidence and come visit us, whether that’s for our stunning autumn colours or to experience our epic alpine winter.”
“It’s been a challenging couple of years but local businesses have adapted incredibly well with considerable support from the domestic market. We are hopeful that this will remain even when borders do open, and we are looking forward to welcoming both Kiwis and international visitors to Queenstown soon.”
Lake Wānaka Tourism GM, Tim Barke says today’s announcement is light at the end of what has been a very long tunnel.
“The Wānaka region has a long history of welcoming travellers and we look forward to once again hosting visitors to this very special part of the world,” he said.
Earlier opening of border will save many businesses, time to get rid of vaccine passes, says Hospitality NZ.
The earlier opening of the border to Australian and visa-waiver countries before winter is great news that will save many businesses from collapse, says Hospitality New Zealand.
“It’s sensible and safe to open the border at this time, with our high vaccine rate and Omicron in the community meaning there is no additional risk to our communities.
“Opening before winter will be a game-changer for so many businesses in the hardest hit tourism regions, such as the southern ski resorts.
“Crucially, they will have time to prepare for the Australian school holidays, though staffing may be an issue for some.
“Australian visitors typically make up 40 percent of overall visitors to New Zealand. As Tourism Minister Stuart Nash said, “we have missed you.”
“It would be good to get clarity around when we will open to tourists from China and India, because it’s important for business to plan ahead of that.
“Auckland will benefit immediately from opening the Australian corridor.
“The city is suffering from the most disruptive period since the pandemic started in 2020 due to various impacts, including illness and close-contact stand-down periods causing to problems in the supply-chain.
“The hit to small hospitality and accommodation businesses in the CBD is far worse than lockdown, with many on a knife edge.
“Retail vacancy rates have jumped from less than 2 percent before the pandemic to 12 percent last December, and we’re predicting more hospitality venues will close if we do not see immediate changes.
“It’s great to see the Government moving fast on making these decisions this week, but why stop there?
“We need the border fully open to all as soon as possible, we need to get out of the Red traffic light setting so we can have more venues open and get concerts back, and we need to get rid of vaccine passes.
“With Omicron in the community there’s no reason we can’t open borders to all, or that alert setting can’t change at the same time. By definition, according to the Unite against COVID-19 website, we should already be in Orange – and working towards Green.
“We also need an urgent review of vaccine passes. Why are we still enforcing them when we have no locations of interest?
“Also, the complexity and backlog for international visitors getting them is problematic because it currently takes 10 days to get one when they’ve already met the negative-test criteria before arriving.
“The Government needs to ask themselves if passes are relevant in the current environment.
“We believe it should stand them down on May 1 at the very latest to coincide with opening the border to the rest of the world.”
Mandy has over 17 years of accommodation and tourism industry writing experience and is Editor of AccomNews & Resort News, Publisher of SchoolNews & Director of Multimedia Pty Ltd. She is a retired registered nurse with a 25-year NHS career that followed a few unforgettable years in hotel housekeeping.
