New Zealand reopens for tourists from the US, UK, Canada, and over 50 other countries for the first time after two years of ban.
New Zealand: Tourism Minister Stuart Nash said the reopening of the border is an integral part of bolstering New Zealand’s economy after the past two years. In an effort to keep Covid-19 out of the country, the government closed New Zealand’s borders in early 2020 as the pandemic began to spread around the world. People vaccinated against COVID-19 from 60 visa-exempt countries can officially travel to and enter New Zealand until midnight on Sunday.
Nash said, “We are currently seeing around 33,000 arrivals per week and we know today’s change will further boost arrivals as interest in travel to New Zealand is high. International flight searches for NZ are running 19 percent higher than pre-Covid”. Ahead of the school holidays, New Zealand welcomed vaccinated Australian tourists and some international students in April.
Before the spread of COVID-19, every year over three million tourists visited New Zealand, accounting for 20 percent of the country’s foreign income and more than 5 percent of the overall economy. But international tourism came to a complete halt in early 2020 when New Zealand imposed some of the toughest border restrictions in the world.
The spread of the Omicron version of the coronavirus and the vaccination of over 80 percent of New Zealand’s five million population led to a gradual easing of restrictions. New Zealand reopened three weeks ago to tourists from Australia and on Monday to about 60 visa-exempt countries, including Europe. Most tourists from China, India, and other non-pardonable countries are still not allowed to enter.
The reopening of the border will help boost tourism ahead of New Zealand’s upcoming ski season. But the real test of the tourism industry’s rebound will be in December when the southern hemisphere nation begins its peak summer season.
