Mascarenhas says forward bookings for the summer are looking promising. "We have some very good business on our books and the boom should start happening in the first quarter of next year. We are working really hard to boost our workforce."
He says the bulk of the bookings are from Australia, the US and some leisure travellers from Europe. The Chinese are unlikely to start travelling before the middle of next year.
There are clear signs of a recovery, says Mascarenhas, but a couple of aspects need to be addressed — availability of labour and immigration settings.
"We need more liberal and innovative immigration and visa policies that are aimed at attracting overseas resources to come live and work in New Zealand.
"Generally 20 per cent of our workforce has been students but the late announcement of the border re-opening means international students won't be coming till next year and this dampens our ability to recruit."
The current accredited employer work visa application can take two months for approval and this is far too long to fill critical roles, he says. This is a handbrake on tourism's recovery.
The Government's focus on hiring Kiwis, which is a natural priority anyway, at a time when unemployment is low is only lengthening the recruitment process and making it more difficult to find what is now a scarce global resource (labour).
Mascarenhas, a member of the Auckland Unlimited destination committee, says the tourism sector needs more financial support from the Government and local councils in marketing in an environment of significant competition from Australia and other countries.
"We are one of the most beautiful countries in the world but we need to market ourselves effectively to ensure we receive the patronage we deserve — and this needs significant funding," he says.