Borders now open to NZ visitors after quarantine for Kiwis is given the flick
THE Territory’s border rules will relax further today with travellers from New Zealand now allowed to arrive in the NT and NSW without having to quarantine
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THE Territory’s border rules will relax further today with travellers from New Zealand now allowed to arrive in the NT and NSW without having to quarantine.
More than 350 passengers from New Zealand will arrive in Sydney on three flights after the travel bubble opened at midnight last night.
While there are currently no direct flights between New Zealand and the NT, Jetstar has flagged the airline could introduce one if demand was there to support it.
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“We are monitoring the demand of our current New Zealand flights to Sydney, which have seen a steady amount of bookings at this stage,” a Jetstar spokesman said.
“We’ll see if we need to adjust our flight schedules or routes based on this demand.”
Tourism Top End chief executive Glen Hingley said unfortunately they had not seen a whole lot of interest from Kiwi holidaymakers so far.
“I think there’s a couple of reasons for that, including no direct flights,” he said.
“This travel bubble is a one-way deal at this stage, so when New Zealanders go back, they will still have to quarantine at the cost of about $3100.
“I think it’s an expense that has deterred people, and the NT could potentially see a lot more interest if they also did away with quarantine.
“There are half a million Kiwis living in Australia, and we know people reuniting is an important motivator for travel.
“We also know New Zealand tourists like to explore, and while they have traditionally favoured Australia’s east coast, the Territory offers unique and different experiences that could appeal to many of them. We also know they have an interest in Indigenous culture, which is another reason why the Territory could be a well-suited destination.”
New Zealand is currently the NT’s seventh leading international tourist market.
About 13,000 Kiwis came to the Territory in the year ending March 2020, with an average spend of $1400 a person.
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Mr Hingley said Northern Territory tourism operators had seen a promising first wave of tourists arrive from Sydney since the city’s COVID-19 hot spot status was lifted last Friday.
“There’s a pent-up demand of people to get out of the city and out into the open spaces,” he said.
“Last year, 6½ million Aussies travelled outbound — the NT just needs 10 per cent of that to fill the gap in our international arrivals.”
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