New Zealand and Australia Allow Quarantine-Free Travel

Tourism between New Zealand and Australia is vital to the economy of both countries. (Wikimedia)

The quarantine-free travel between New Zealand and Australia will start on April 19, said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in a press conference on April 6. After the two countries closed their borders to foreigners in March last year, they responded to COVID-19 outbreaks with strict lockdowns and mandatory quarantine for returning nationals. As both countries had kept COVID-19 infection rates nearly zero, Australia started accepting New Zealand travelers without quarantine in October, although New Zealand did not reciprocate the action.

After a year-long strict travel restriction, Ardern and COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed that the two countries have met all the conditions for the “trans-Tasman travel bubble.” 

“This is an important step forward in our Covid response and represents an arrangement I do not believe we have seen in any other part of the world,” Ardern expressed.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison welcomed New Zealand’s announcement: “This is the first of many more steps to come, I believe, as we get back to a normal, not only over the course of this year but beyond,” he remarked.

However, Ardern warned people that quarantine-free travel will be different from pre-COVID-19 travel. She asked people to be prepared for the sudden disruption of their travel plans since flights could be suspended if a new outbreak emerges. She added that travelers might be asked to take a PCR test or quarantine, depending on the situation regarding COVID-19 cases. 

Tourism businesses in New Zealand praise the long-awaited travel bubble. The tourism sector has severely suffered from the restrictions on international travel from Australia as Australian travelers account for 40 percent of international visitors. “New Zealand's tourism and hospitality sectors have suffered the full force of Covid-19. Today's news will give them great encouragement that there is light at the end of the tunnel,” said Kirk Hope, a chief executive at BusinessNZ, a business advocacy group in New Zealand. Tourism New Zealand, a travel marketing agency, estimates that the travel bubble could bring in nearly one billion New Zealand dollars ($700 million) by the end of the year. 

However, some are skeptical about the effectiveness of the decision. Australian tourism operators predict that the benefit of the travel bubble will be limited in the short term since the majority of first visitors from New Zealand would be low-spending travelers visiting family and friends. Moreover, Siraj Nebhani and Adrian Dark, analysts at CitiBank, argue, “Uncertainties around future COVID-19 outbreaks, capacity constraints, and ticket costs could impact willingness to travel.”