- New Zealand will be reopening its borders sooner than expected, ahead of Australian school holidays and the upcoming ski season
- Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the news on Wednesday and said the move will speed up the economic recovery from COVID-19
- Australians will be allowed into the neighbouring country from April 12, which will be followed by countries such as the UK, US, Japan, Germany, Korea and Singapore
- Ms Ardern did recognise that it will take some time to see tourism scale up again, but today’s announcement will be a welcome boost to the country’s tourism operations
New Zealand has announced it will reopen its borders sooner than expected, ahead of Australian school holidays and the upcoming ski season.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the news on Wednesday and said the move will speed up the economic recovery from COVID-19.
From Tuesday, April 12, at 11:59 pm Australians will be able to travel to New Zealand without any isolation, two weeks later, the country will be welcoming vaccinated travellers from visa-waiver countries such as the UK, US, Japan, Germany, Korea and Singapore.
“Closing our border was one of the first actions we took to stop COVID-19 two years ago. It did the job we needed. But now that we’re highly vaccinated and predicted to be off our Omicron peak, it’s now safe to open up,” Prime Minister Ardern said.
“Reopening in time for the upcoming Australian school holidays will help spur our economic recovery in the short term and is good news for the winter ski season.”
Australians account for 40 per cent of tourists to New Zealand.
Ms Ardern did recognise that it will take some time to see tourism scale up again but today’s announcement will be a welcome boost to the country’s tourism operations which have had it tough over the past two years.
“In a world still battling COVID-19, travellers will be discerning about where they go in the short term. Our strong health response including the lowest death rate in the OECD over the past two years and our high rates of vaccination, alongside our reputation as a beautiful place to visit, will be an asset in this market,” she said.
“I am proud that New Zealand is a country which is able to provide a safe place for tourists to return to due to our strong health response to COVID-19.”