New Zealand’s international border has reopened to all visitors, including from non-visa waiver countries, and international students.
From today, cruise ships and recreational yachts are also able to arrive at New Zealand ports.
“Since April, visitors from our key markets such as Australia have been able to travel to New Zealand, and it’s great to see the recovery of the tourism sector back on track,” said Tourism Minister, Stuart Nash.
“We’re seeing a strong uptick in arrivals from Australia and the US, with Queenstown in particular receiving a surge in visitors.”
He said the change in border settings marked the final milestone for the Government’s reconnection strategy.
“This is great news to the tourism industry and economy as we approach spring and summer with people from the Northern hemisphere booking their winter holidays. We’ve heard optimistic messages from tourism operators who are ready to welcome back international visitors from all over the world.”
“I’m also pleased to see that the Government’s $49 million Tourism Kick-start Fund has been put to good use by 481 businesses most affected by the border closure. This fund has helped operators gear up for the return of international visitors.
“Globally there is pent up demand for people to visit New Zealand. In January, 58% of Australians who would like to visit New Zealand wanted to come within six months of borders opening. This number is even higher for our American target market, at 77% and we’re ready for them,” he said.
Today also marks the opening of the maritime border to cruise ships, specialist vessels and recreational vessels such as ocean-going yachts.
“The return of cruise ships is another boost for local communities. Pre-pandemic their visits were worth in excess of $500 million a year, of which $356 million was spent onshore, providing a valuable economic contribution to our regions,” said Mr Nash.
“Most cruise visits are during the warmer months of October to April, and summer is our bumper tourism season overall. This means it will be full steam ahead for the industry who can plan with certainty for the rest of the year and beyond.”
Immigration Minister, Michael Wood said the individuals who coming to New Zealand to work will primarily use the Accredited Employer Work Visa, which opened on 4 July, to enter the country.
“Prior to the pandemic, the international education sector was worth several billion dollars to our country and education providers,” said Minister Wood.
“While we’ve continued to support the sector with border exceptions through the pandemic, the full resumption of visa processing is great news for our universities, polytechnics and wānanga, and schools, English language schools, and private training establishments.
“As we warmly welcome the world back to our shores, it’s the perfect time to showcase New Zealand to the world,” he said.
