Covid-19

The government has extended the deadline for the Royal Commission of Enquiry’s final report into the Covid-19 response.

The 7-day isolation requirement for positive cases will be scrapped overnight, ending the last area of Covid friction for tourism.

The current mandatory seven-day Covid isolation requirement could be about to go.

The seven-day isolation requirement impedes tourism and is out of step with most countries, writes TECNZ’s Lynda Keene.

Tania Tapsell on the destination’s recovery from the damage caused by the pandemic and the emergency housing crisis.

The urgent need for the MIQ system meant consultation processes were limited, says MBIE.

The Royal Commission will start considering evidence in February and conclude in mid-2024, with a report to follow.

The cruise industry has learnt much from the pandemic but more can be done to protect those at sea and on land, say researchers.

The government is ending the requirement for visitors travelling by air to fill out the online New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) from this Thursday 20 October.

September 2022 passenger movements at Auckland Airport reached 71% of the 2019 pre-Covid equivalent, buoyed by a rise in international and short-haul recovery.

Tourism Industry Aotearoa has posted total income of $2.43m for the year to March 2022, down 15% on last year.

Masks are no longer required on Metlink’s bus, rail, ferry, and total mobility services, but remain strongly recommended on public transport.

Operators can now make their own health and safety decisions for staff and customers.

The govt no longer requires proof of vaccination for visitors coming to NZ but travellers should check with their airline’s requirements.

ACT Party leader David Seymour is calling for the government to remove all vaccination requirements because he believes they are preventing visitors from returning to New Zealand.

Air New Zealand is shaking the dust off one of its Boeing 777-300 aircraft for flight once again after two years of being stored in the Mojave Desert in the United States.

Tourism Minister Stuart Nash says there is strong visitor demand for NZ.

Passengers on cruise ships and recreational vessels are required to be vaccinated against Covid-19, and must comply with all domestic health measures including isolation.

Staff shortages have caused Fullers360 to cancel or delay a number of its services at short notice and the company is warning customers to expect disruption.

Queenstown Lakes District Council has issued a final call for tourism businesses in the district to apply for up to $60,000 funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment.

Auckland Business Chamber chief executive Michael Barnett is calling for the removal of self-isolation rules for household contacts because he believes it is causing “business long Covid” during the winter.

The government is making rapid antigen tests and masks freely available to anyone who needs them as part of several changes to tackle the second Covid-19 Omicron wave and influenza.

Air New Zealand is offering flight credit to domestic and international travellers affected by illness or as a result of flight cancellations due to staff illness.

Auckland Transport is reducing the number of rail bus services as driver shortages and illness force the operator to reduce timetables.

New Covid-19 cases in Niue have been linked to a flight from New Zealand.

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The government’s mandatory vaccination requirement for all border workers and corrections staff will end on 2 July.

Crowne Plaza Auckland and Crowne Plaza Christchurch have reopened their doors to guests after returning from managed isolation duty.

The final three managed isolation facilities in Auckland have now closed, bringing an end to MIQ.

Two Auckland hotels are returning refurbished after being managed isolation facilities, adding around 448 rooms to the market.

Visitors heading to New Zealand can now skip the hassle of having a pre-departure Covid-19 test.

Border workers will no longer need to be tested for Covid-19 from 11:59pm on Thursday 30 June.

New Zealand could see a 55%-60% return of pre-Covid visitor arrivals and spend by as early as the year ending May 2023, despite a lack of China-based airlines during the latter half of 2022.

The removal of the requirement at midnight Monday arrives in time for the start of the southern ski season.

SkyCity Entertainment Group says it expects its normalised profit after tax for the year to June 2022 to be between $3.5m and $7m.

National Party Covid-19 response spokesperson Chris Bishop is calling on the government to drop pre-departure testing requirements for incoming visitors “right now”.

New Zealand’s three remaining managed isolation facilities will be closed by 30 June.

The US is no longer requiring visitors travelling by air to undertake pre-departure testing for Covid-19, leaving NZ somewhat lagging behind as a country largely open for tourism with the restriction in place.

Sustainability, collaboration, and new approaches to attracting domestic visitors have come to the fore in one of the hardest hit tourism regions.

Major sporting events will help the recovery from later this year, says the operator.

The Covid orange traffic light setting is not a constraint or handbrake to accelerating business recovery and growth, says Auckland Business Chamber chief executive Michael Barnett.

How cruise managed the pandemic will be studied for years, says the tourism minister.

The tourism, hospitality, events, and aviation industries welcome the new border date and moves to make hiring migrant workers easier.

Accommodation and food services had the highest proportion of jobs supported by wage subsidies in 2021, says a new report.

Sky City Entertainment Group has secured debt covenant waivers from its banking syndicate and US Private Placement holders for the 30 June 2022 testing period.

Industry groups are calling on the government to scrap the requirement for travellers to take a pre-departure test before flying to New Zealand.

Air New Zealand and the government will trial a new Covid-19 testing solution, coinciding the the arrival of more visitors back into New Zealand.

Why are business travellers more at risk?

A lack of travel confidence among domestic travellers contributed to a 23% drop to 72,895 in passengers flowing through Queenstown Airport in March 2022, compared to the same time last year.

The government will provide people who have a genuine reason for not being able to wear a face mask with a new personalised exemption card from the end of May.