For the first time since March 2020, New Zealand’s borders are fully open, when they were closed to keep Covid-19 out. Immigration officials will now resume accepting visitors with visas and students on student visas.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described the incident as an “enormous moment,” adding that it was part of a “cautious process.” Most visitors will still need to be fully vaccinated, but quarantine is not required.
The country’s maritime border has also reopened, allowing cruise ships and foreign recreational yachts to dock. In February, New Zealand announced a phased reopening plan. It allowed vaccinated citizens from Australia to return that month, and those from other countries to return in March.
It began welcoming tourists from more than 50 countries on a visa-waiver list in May. “We, alongside the rest of the world, continue to manage a very live global pandemic, while keeping our people safe,” Ms Ardern said on Monday at the China Business Summit in Auckland.
“But keeping people safe extends to incomes and wellbeing too.” Tourism was among the industries hardest hit by New Zealand’s strict Covid regulations.
The industry’s contribution to GDP fell to 2.9 percent in the fiscal year ending March 2021, down from 5.5 percent the previous year. According to official data, international tourism dropped 91.5 percent – or NZ$16.2 billion ($10.2 billion; £8.4 billion) – to NZ$1.5 billion.
During this time, the number of people directly employed in tourism fell by over 72,000.
