Fears are mounting that New Zealand could be left off the lucrative cruise ship itinerary if the Government doesn't follow Australia's lead and reopen the maritime border.
Before the pandemic, cruise ships in Tauranga were a lucrative source of visitors for Rotorua.
But experts warn many tourism operators have been forced to take on other jobs, go into hibernation or - as in the case of Rotorua's Rainbow Springs Nature Park - close.
One local travel agent said the maritime border opening "cannot happen soon enough".
A Ministry of Health spokesperson said New Zealand's decision on the maritime border was still under review.
"It will reopen safely and in steps, and any decisions will be communicated once they've been made.
A Port of Tauranga spokeswoman said it had some tentative cruise ship bookings from October.
A Royal Caribbean spokeswoman for the cruise company had carried more than a million holidaymakers globally in the past 12 months.
She said Radiance of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas would visit New Zealand in the 22/23 season.
Ovation was scheduled to stop in Tauranga on November 22, with Radiance arriving the same day and Quantum on March 23 next year.
Destination Rotorua chief executive Andrew Wilson said Rotorua has traditionally hosted large numbers of cruise ship visitors from ships berthed in Tauranga.
"The opening of the maritime border is another positive step forward for the sector as it rebuilds.''
He said its tourism operators have had an extremely difficult two years.
"Many have seen visitor numbers plummet by 90-95 per cent. Unsurprisingly, being the innovative group they are, there has been a broad range of approaches taken over the last two years that includes, for example, reinvestment in experiences, products and infrastructure, exploring new revenue streams and sharing resources between business."
Tourism Bay of Plenty chief executive Oscar Nathan said New Zealand would be playing catch-up to compete for 2022/2023 summer cruise passengers who may already be focused on other routes.
"Prior to Covid, cruise was a vital part of our local economy and identity. Businesses have been missing the high-value spend cruise passengers impart.''
In the 2019-20 cruise season, 105 ships with about 183,000 passengers contributed $74 million to the coastal Bay of Plenty economy - "and we've had nothing since then".
The season previously netted $89m.
Tourism Bay of Plenty was working alongside Tauranga City Council, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Port of Tauranga to review new settings required to ensure cruise line schedules were sustainable.
He said the "market disappeared virtually overnight for the local operators who were solely focused on cruise passengers".
"The pain for these operators has been real. Some pivoted their businesses to pursue new domestic markets, although these are likely to have been less lucrative. Others went into hibernation, while some have closed down or their owners have decided to retire."
New Zealand Cruise Association chief executive Kevin O'Sullivan said it had been in discussions with the Government and he was also worried about off-ship attractions as many operators had pivoted, closed or left to pursue other jobs.
Being left off the cruise season itinerary was another worry.
He said a firm date was needed on the maritime border so that the industry could start planning.
''We need to plan for the infrastructure onshore, and all the operators need to be gearing up. You can't just flick a light switch.''
Justin Hutton, owner of River Rats Raft & Kayak Rotorua, said it was vital New Zealand's marine border was opened again.
Pre-Covid 80 per cent of his business came from international visitors, many of them cruise ship passengers.
Hutton said he was concerned that if New Zealand kept delaying allowing cruise ships to return, the country could miss out on this lucrative income.
He said if cruise ship owners could not come to New Zealand they would look elsewhere for routes.
Hutton said his business was seasonal, with 70 per cent of income made between December and April. It had suffered a "huge hit" the past two summer seasons without international tourists.
To keep the business afloat, he said he had taken on several part-time jobs including building fences, painting and housing repairs. He had also operated another small business.
"I can appreciate the obvious reticence as some of the first Covid cases came from cruise ships. But I think ship owners will be very conscious of any bad press and they will have improved their health and safety systems," he said.
Galaxy World Travellers Rotorua owner Joanna Corbett said tourist attractions had been "starved" in the absence of cruise ships.
She said the maritime border opening "cannot happen soon enough".
"It is great to see Australia leaping on board in April."
Cruising was still big during Covid and Viking was building more ships while Regent Seven Seas and Silversea had launched new ships, she said.
Helloworld Travel Rotorua owner Deborah Kay said the cruising industry was a massive revenue stream for the New Zealand economy and closed maritime borders had brought this to "a grinding halt".
Many cruise companies have spent the last two years enhancing their systems and technology onboard to ensure the health and safety of their guests.
Kay said cruises have been operating successfully overseas for the last nine months and "there's no reason why they can't do so here".
"We have a number of clients booked to cruise later this year from New Zealand and around Australia, with many others keen to book as soon as the maritime borders reopen."
House of Travel Papamoa, Mt Maunganui and The Crossing owner/operator Tanya Aitken said the Australia-based cruise ships start sailing again from Sydney on May 31 and Kiwis are already booking to fly over to Aussie to cruise again.
She said if the maritime border doesn't open, ships would re-route to skip New Zealand.
''That will have a serious impact on our regional economies and tourism operators that previously had a strong cruise market pre-Covid-19.''
Kiwis were already flying overseas to take cruises in destinations like the Caribbean and Europe.
''Recent world cruises have sold out in record time, which shows there is pent-up demand for cruise travel.''
Tauranga cruise fan Neil Williams said he had an island cruise booked for Vanuatu and Fiji last year but it was canned, rebooked and booked again.
He would finally get on board with his wife Angela in July next year.
Williams said Covid would always be at the back of his mind but he envisaged in the future it could become as common as a cold.
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