The Wellington Chamber of Commerce believes a trans-Tasman bubble is vital for Wellington’s economic recovery.
"A trans-Tasman travel arrangement would be a big step in Wellington’s recovery and could mean our regional tourism market recovers faster than we first predicted," says Wellington Chamber of Commerce chief executive John Milford.
"Australians make up around 70 per cent of Wellington’s direct international arrivals – more than 150,000 people. These tourists come specifically to spend time in the Wellington region.
"Getting those visitors back visiting our city for our hospitality, events and shows will be important to helping our local economy recover and thrive once again.
"The numbers may be slow to recover; but for the sake of our small businesses, airport, and events sector, we need to open that bubble up as soon as it is safe to do so.
"WellingtonNZ has a long track record of successfully attracting tourists from Australia.
"Even without events like WOW later this year we know, given the opportunity, the WellingtonNZ team will come up with innovative ideas and events to get our tourism market back on track," says John.
"WellingtonNZ’s ‘Love Local’ campaign has already proven to be a big hit with Wellingtonians supporting their local eateries, and rolled out across the region.
"The Chamber believes this should be the first step in rebuilding the country’s tourism sector, with others like the Pacific Islands, or countries that have the virus under control, to follow."
