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Tour operators are asking the government to give them more clarity on when the borders will reopen.
File photo.
Photo: Brett Phibbs / PhibbsVisuals
In December, the Cabinet agreed in principle to establish a travel bubble with Australia in the first three months of this year.
While the news was welcome, those in the tourism industry said they needed to make sure there was enough time to prepare for the influx of foreign visitors.
Scenic Hotel Group Managing Director Brendan Taylor said it would take two to three months for airlines to increase if the borders were reopened.
He said operators needed time to prepare and make sure they had enough staff to serve incoming guests.
Aotearoa Tourism Industry Executive Director Chris Roberts said it will take time to prepare for the return of international visitors after such a devastating blow, and that it wouldn’t be as simple as flipping a switch and everything was back to normal.
He also said that finding staff to fill vacant positions would be particularly challenging.
“We have to increase the staff again, because 40 or 50,000 jobs have disappeared throughout the tourism industry and they are good people who, in general, have found work elsewhere.”
“So it’s a challenge to get the workforce back strong.”
In addition to the proposed travel bubble with Australia, a quarantine-free travel corridor between New Zealand and the Cook Islands is expected to open by the end of March.
Currently, the Cook Islands are Covid free.
However, recent community outbreaks of Covid-19 in Australia have led to further restrictions and border closures between New South Wales and Victoria.
