The uncertainty of the reopening of borders makes it “almost impossible to exploit”, according to tourism actors
Tourism operators are warning that a third summer without international visitors would be ‘terminal’ for many businesses as the government hints it will allow them in before October.
Following the announcement that the self-isolation of returning Kiwis would endPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said the government may also reconsider when foreign tourists can enter New Zealand – currently July for Australian visitors and those from visa-exempt countries, and October for other parts of the world.
For Tim Cossar, general manager of Te Puia de Rotorua, a reopening of the borders “is a priority for us, not a good to have, a necessity for our survival”.
Cossar said that before Covid, international visitors made up 98% of their visitors.
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“We have been dramatically affected, we are in survival mode.”
He said that for many businesses in the tourism space, a third summer without international visitors would prove “terminal”.
He said the tourism sector was currently “below its knees”.
“We desperately need international visitors to come back.”
He also said the uncertainty of when this might happen made it “almost impossible to exploit”.
“Uncertainty in business is a killer. You like to plan, a tourism business like Te Puia, you plan every year, staffing for visitor flows. Not knowing the dates is terrible.
He said he expected international borders to reopen before October, but warned it would not be a silver bullet to the sector’s problems.
“Borders open one day and people arrive, it doesn’t work like that.”
He said there were questions about airline capacity, something he said had been damaged by the pandemic, and that the longer they had to wait for a reopening date, the more people would simply make plans to travel elsewhere.
Mark Taylor / Stuff
Dave Nesbitt, left, said for his Taupō Sailing Adventures, a border reopening in October would be too late.
“If they [tourists] do not have certainty, they put the country in contact.
Dave Nesbitt of Taupō Sailing Adventures expressed similar concerns.
“October for us is too late. What we are discovering now is that they are [tourists] already pre-booked, even two years in advance.”
Nesbitt, who has operated on Lake Taupō for 20 years, said he would usually get bookings now for next summer.
“Today, not a single reservation at all.”
He said that right now they are operating at between 10% and 15% of their usual income, and they have only managed to survive as he and his wife Jessica used the money set aside for a house deposit and took on second jobs.
“I know it’s a pandemic but the government hasn’t set dates, we’re left behind,” he said.
Nesbitt also said the uncertainty was creating ripple effects, as the $50,000 refit of one of his boats is now on hold.
“We can’t do that [refit] unless we have clarity,” he said.
“We lost more than a million in turnover. We don’t spend a single penny. »
Provided
Rotorua Canopy Tours managing director Paul Button said the longer the wait for a reopening date, the more tourists were simply considering traveling elsewhere.
Managing Director of Rotorua’s Canopy Tours, Paul Button, said of the reopening of borders, “the sooner we can do this the better it is for the tourism industry”.
He said it was a summer business, but “now we have to make money every month of the winter to survive.”
He also echoed Cossar’s concern that if uncertain about a date, people would simply make their travel plans for other countries.
“If we don’t reopen our borders, visitors will go elsewhere.”
This is a call that was also made by Tourism Industry Aotearoa.
“The top priority for the tourism industry is to reopen our borders to vaccinated international leisure and business travelers,” said Ann-Marie Johnson, chief communications officer for TIA.
She said many parts of the industry need a long head start, the airlines and cruise industries in particular, and many would roll out their summer schedules now.
“The recovery of the industry will not begin until high-value holidaymakers can enter New Zealand,” she said.
“The sooner we can signal intentions and timelines for reopening air and sea borders, the sooner tourism operators can get back to doing what they do best.”
