Following comments from Tourism Minister Nash last week regarding international borders potentially not reopening until late 2022, Destination Queenstown is concerned more clarity is needed for the tourism industry to prepare, recruit staff, and guide decision making.
DQ chief executive Paul Abbot says the volatile, uncertain nature of the COVID world is not something that is likely to go away soon but believes more could be done to support tourism and help ensure its longevity.
A clearer view and timeframe on reopening borders without the seven-day isolation period would be very helpful for the industry.
Pre-COVID, 70 per cent of Queenstown’s total visitors were from international markets and for every one Queenstown Lakes resident, $73,594 was spent by visitors on local tourism (at year end 2019).
Tourism also contributed 44 per cent of the Queenstown Lakes GDP (while nationally, tourism contributed 5.1 per cent).
“Locally, there are tourism operators who are living day to day at the moment, trying to see things through until borders ease and they can get out of the red. Most of these are local families who have built these businesses up over time and are incredibly passionate about the region and sharing that with visitors from around the world,” says Paul.
Pre-COVID, there were more than 1000 tourism businesses in operation across the Queenstown Lakes district3 and these businesses employed 58 per cent of the local resident population4.
“It has been an incredibly stressful time for tourism businesses, and the other businesses who support the industry indirectly. I think another 12 months of basically zero international visitors, and potential loss of airline connectivity, may see the closure of more businesses here and across New Zealand.
“Having a clear path forward with a timeframe on when self-isolation is not a requirement for travel to New Zealand, would help ease some of this pressure and help businesses plan ahead. It would also be extremely useful for them to know how to handle international booking enquiries – whether to confirm them or rebook them for a later date,” says Paul.
The Queenstown Lakes district is also one of the most highly vaccinated parts of New Zealand, with more than 95 per cent of the eligible population double vaccinated and the rest of New Zealand currently sitting at 89 per cent double vaccinated.
“Based on these high vaccination rates, I urge Minister Nash to at least consider opening the borders to fully vaccinated Australians without requiring them to self-isolate for seven days on arrival, and to do it soon.
“Fully vaccinated Australians are likely to be just as safe as fully vaccinated New Zealand travellers, and also have the added safety measure of being checked at the border for proof of vaccination before they can come here. By removing the seven-day isolation requirement, it would open up a key market which pre-COVID made up 39 per cent of total international expenditure in Queenstown. Australians would provide a lifeline for many businesses and potentially tide them over until other international markets open up completely,” says Paul.
