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After nearly two years of border closure to international travel and tourism, the Cook Islands has reopened its air and sea travel to those who travel through New Zealand or Australia with two-way Quarantine Free Travel (QFT) requiring no quarantine or isolation at either end of the trip.
Speaking at the Pacific Tourism Organisation’s Reopening of the Pacific webinar series, CEO of Cook Islands Tourism Corporation Karla Eggelton discussed the Cook Islands COVID-19 response and recovery plan for a successful re-opening of the nation’s borders, particularly with New Zealand and Australia.
Ms Eggelton shared insights on the lessons learned from Cook Islands’ border reopening, including the challenges faced by the Cook Islands during the pandemic, learnings along the way, and the next steps.
In acknowledging the importance of the reopening of Pacific borders, SPTO CEO Christopher Cocker mentioned that after two challenging years the Cook Islands and the rest of the Pacific are eager for tourism reactivation and positive growth this year.
Mr Cocker added that 2022 also marks a time for reflection to learn from good regional practices inclusive of community-based tourism initiatives, building resilience, and mainstreaming of sustainable policies and practices.
