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After months of border restrictions, there’s finally been some good news for our tourism industry.
The Federal Government has announced a Trans-Tasman travel bubble, with stage one allowing New Zealanders to travel to New South Wales, ACT and Northern Territory from October 16.
And while the travel bubble isn’t reciprocal just yet, CEO of the Tourism and Transport Forum Margy Osmond says she is “fairly confident” it will be by November.
“It’s a semi-bubble,” Osmond said.
“I think from a New Zealand point of view, Australian tourists are very important to their economy – probably moreso than they are to us.
“But the really critical thing here is friends and family. People haven’t seen their loved ones in an awfully long time.
“The bubble needs to be quarantine-free – so if you are a New Zealander who makes the decision to come here, it’s likely that you are coming for the friends and family option, and you aren’t too worried about the two-week quarantine you’ll have to go through when you get home.
“All the work has been done to make sure this is as safe as possible.”
Airports and flights
I think the airports are being very careful about how they manage people,” Osmond
“Once we get into more international ports, it will be even more important to handle the division of international travellers.
“There is no real evidence of anybody contracting COVID on a flight.
“The way the air-conditioning is structured on a flight, the way the seat barriers work and the fact that you are wearing a mask I think makes you pretty safe.”
International destinations
After New Zealand, Osmond believes it is likely that there will be bubbles to islands in the Pacific such as Fiji and Vanuatu, as those destinations are virtually virus-free.
“Those Pacific economies depend so much on tourism,” Osmond said.
“Singapore is the next logical choice, and they’re making all the right noises about wanting Australians to come and visit.
“It just needs to be managed.
“So I’d say Singapore, and then maybe Tokyo and Seoul.
“I think Paris is out of the question for a little while.”
(Source: The Morning Show / 7 News)
