Will Uplifting New Zealand’s Covid-19 Restrictions Promote Business Travel?

The coronavirus pandemic has triggered the health sector and tourism sector of countries across the world. Each country is using its own ways and techniques to deal with the crisis. While countries like Sweden did not use a strict lockdown for controlling the spread of the virus, New Zealand’s Covid-19 restrictions have been successful.

By using smart techniques like imposing travel restrictions timely, ensuring strict quarantine and widespread testing, officials claim that New Zealand’s Covid-19 restrictions have helped the country to record no new coronavirus cases since past 19 days. On June 9, the country entered alert level 1 wherein restrictions at the border had increased as travellers coming from other regions posed a higher risk and domestic travel was eased.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, “This freedom from restrictions relies though heavily on the ongoing role that our border controls will play in keeping the virus out.” As a part of alert 1, the citizens of the country are encouraged to keep a record of where they have been so that if anyone is found positive, tracing the source of origin becomes easy.

While the flag carrier of the country — Air New Zealand has started domestic flights as per normal schedule, Jetstar has plans to restart domestic services in July. The country’s business travellers are looking forth for the resumption of trans-Tasman bubble that has been a topic of discussion since a long time now.

As per Tourism Industry Aotearoa’s Chief Executive Chris Roberts, domestic and trans-Tasman travel will help companies to slowly get back to work. The problem for those who deal internationally still remains the same. To promote domestic travel, which constitutes nearly 6 percent of the country’s tourism, Ardern has suggested the idea of a four-day work week.

To keep people safe amid the crisis, the Ministry of Health in New Zealand has released an update of the Covid Tracer app that will help users to know if they were at a place with someone who later tested positive. The app will use vibration mode to help visually impaired people.

Considering the safety measures that the country is taking, it is safe to say that travellers would want to visit the country as soon as international travel restrictions are removed. Some of the best places in the country include Lake Taupo (which is perfect for swimming in summers) and Whanganui city (with one of the two public underground elevators in the world and beautiful Castlecliff beaches). There is a special place in New Zealand for those who love libraries, the multi — floored Turanga library is surely a paradise for both kids and adults.

After starting with just 100 cases in mid-March, the success of New Zealand’s Covid-19 restrictions has proved that determination and patience can help resume travel just like pre-Covid-19 times. As the country opens up its tourism industry, it is highly likely that it will be able to recover from the losses incurred in the past few months much earlier than any other country in the world.