Airports are set to become busier as borders fully open. Photo / NZME
Today is the first day in two years that tourists from around the world are allowed into New Zealand.
It's the moment the beleaguered tourism industry has been hoping for, but the recovery of a $42 billion industry is going to take more than a few weeks.
Speaking to the Front Page podcast, the New Zealand Herald's travel editor Stephanie Holmes says estimates suggest it will take three years before the industry is back to pre-pandemic levels.
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"First we're going to see the VFR market, which is visiting friends and relatives. Then we'll see things start to pick up as we get closer to summer. Winter has never really been a peak time for international tourists coming to New Zealand."
While the border has today opened to 60 countries with visa-waiver agreements with New Zealand, there are still a few restrictions travellers face coming into the country.
"It's certainly a bit harder to come here than other countries," Holmes says.
"In the UK, for example, there are no rules at all. Anyone can go… And in Australia, they've dropped their pre-departure testing requirement already.
"Whereas for New Zealand, you're going to need a negative pre-departure test within 48 or 24 hours of your departure.
"You'll also need an online traveller declaration before departure… as well as a travel pass, which is a QR code that will get mailed to you. If you don't have that, you won't be allowed to check into your flight."
Holmes says these encumbrances could result in some tourists opting for other destinations, but some travellers are eager to come here.
On the flip side, the open borders also mean New Zealanders are starting to eye international travel destinations.
However, international travel from New Zealand has also started more slowly than expected.
"There are Kiwis who are still quite hesitant to go overseas," Holmes says.
"They're worried about getting sick while they're abroad and then getting stuck. Last year when we had the transtasman bubble open, I think that scared a lot of people. There were people who went over to Australia and then borders closed again and they got stuck. It was then really difficult to get back."
That said, travel is steadily picking up – and as the New Zealand winter starts to bite, tropical destinations will start to become more appealing.
"The Cook Islands are open to us without any MIQ requirements.
"And Fiji is seeing a lot of tourists. Last week they reported that bookings to Fiji have tripled over the past three weeks. A lot of people are heading over there to get some winter sun."
Given there's still so much uncertainty about how long the recovery could take, tourism operators are trying to remain realistic in their expectations.
"The industry knows it's not going to be a quick fix overnight," Holmes says.
"The key is going to be Kiwis continuing to support domestic tourism. It's going to be so important for us to carry on getting out and about - especially because another area of concern is the continued ban on cruise ships. We still don't have a date for when cruise ships will be allowed back into New Zealand waters – and that's worth $550 million annually to the country."
As the borders open, it appears the journey to recovery is set to take a bit longer than anticipated.
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The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am.
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Sailing away from mass tourism - it isn't easy but it is worth it.