Photo: 123RF
The travel and tourism industries were anxiously awaiting the government s announcement on the proposed trans-Tasman quarantine-free travel bubble later today, with some companies needing just 24 hours to prepare, while others, such as Auckland Airport and Air New Zealand, want about three weeks notice.
A trans-Tasman bubble will initially see the return of Australian tourists, which accounts for about 41 percent of New Zealand s international travel, or about 30 percent when connecting international flights are excluded.
Hotel Council Aotearoa strategic director James Doolan said hotel operators were looking forward to a two-way bubble, but it would not mean a return to business-as-usual.
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Heritage Expeditions co-owner Nathan Russ talks about the work his company did to gain government approval to operate the first expedition or cruise ship in New Zealand since lockdown (first published November 2020).
Le Lapérouse was due to arrive in Auckland on Saturday after getting Ministry of Health permission to run a series of domestic cruises starting next week, but on Thursday as the vessel approached New Zealand, Immigration NZ officials refused visa exemptions for 61 crewmembers classed as hotel staff. The New Zealand Cruise Association said it was “shocked and quite simply bewildered” at moves to prevent the vessel coming here because all the ship’s crew were essential to its operation, and could not be replaced by New Zealanders in such a short time.
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