Travel Agents See Increase in Foot and Online Traffic After Prime Minister Says Non-Quarantine Round-Trips Near Cook Islands, Australia

Inquiries about flights and accommodation in the Cook Islands and Australia have increased following government announcements that it could open its borders to both the Cook Islands and Australia early next year.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today that the cabinet had agreed in principle on a transtasman bubble early next year.

It comes two days after she revealed that there were also plans to allow travel between the Cook Islands and New Zealand by the end of the first quarter of next year.

Both would be round trips without quarantine, allowing travelers to circumvent quarantine requirements in both countries.

Since October, New Zealanders have been able to travel to certain Australian states, including New South Wales and the Northern Territory, without self-quarantine upon arrival. However, the New Zealand government still requires travelers to remain in managed isolation quarantine facilities upon return.

The current high demand for MIQ facilities means that traveling back to New Zealand is difficult and there are long waits.

Flight Center NZ General Product Manager Victoria Courtney said people walked into their stores every day asking about the islands and Australia.

Some even booked flexible trips for tentative dates.

“Many clients would commit now, regardless of the bubble, but MIQ vacancies are rare.”

Courtney said she was pleased to see that the government was moving toward confirming a bubble in the Cook Islands and two-way trans-Tasmania.

House of Travel had also seen a notable increase in inquiries from those desperate to see family, friends and loved ones.

Since Saturday’s announcement, Rarotonga had been the most viewed deals page on the company’s website for the past three days, a House of Travel spokesperson said.

But the president of the Travel Industry Provider Group, Robyn Galloway, told Mike Yardley that the deadline for when the Cook Islands bubble could open was too vague.

“The prime minister said in August that it looked like tours would be open for Christmas, and companies are now unsure whether to prepare for March.”