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A promotional push for domestic tourism was on the way, but people needed to be ready to hear such messages, said TNZ Chief Executive Stephen England-Hall.
England-Hall said that people would not want to cause outbreaks of the coronavirus through their travel behavior, so the timing of the commercialization had to be right. The initial emphasis may be on encouraging them to enjoy what their regions offer, he said.
Mr. England-Hall was part of a Zoom meeting yesterday involving Otago regional tourism organizations and Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis.
Domestic tourism was touted as a way to offset dramatic drops in business revenue as a result of New Zealand closing its borders to international tourists in response to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
Queenstown and Wanaka were among the centers facing sharp increases in unemployment.
However, encouraging signs included news of flights to Queenstown that will return soon and efforts to facilitate travel between New Zealand and Australia.
Davis was wary of getting ahead of announcements or budget debates within the Cabinet, but noted that extending the government’s wage subsidy scheme beyond 12 weeks could be on ministers’ minds.
“Our focus is to protect jobs and help recovery,” he said.
“We understand that Queenstown, Central Otago and Wanaka are the regions most affected by Covid, because their economies are focused on tourism.”
The government will consider on Monday whether to move from the strict Level 3 restrictions to the more permissive Level 2.
Restrictions on domestic travel would be lifted at Level 2, but Mr. Davis described it as “safe normalcy”.
Clutha-Southland MP Hamish Walker did not participate in the meeting, but said the tourism industry needed urgent and specific support.
“Between March 20 and April 20, the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits in Queenstown increased from 151 to 554.”
That would not include many migrants now out of work.
“Almost 11,000 people have registered with the Queenstown Lake District Local Council for emergency aid, with 76% migrants.”
Air New Zealand confirmed that last night’s flights would return to Queenstown and Invercargill on Level 2. It planned to operate at approximately 20% of its usual domestic capacity.
