Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Domestic Travel Must Be Permitted At L2

New Zealanders can travel safely within our own country at Level 2 and must be allowed to do so, Tourism Industry Aotearoa says.

Keeping the tourism industry closed for weeks, if not months, longer until we reach Level 1 will put thousands of jobs and hundreds of businesses at risk, TIA Chief Executive Chris Roberts says.

“Safely reconnecting our families and communities is a social and economic necessity. Aviation, accommodation, hospitality, retail, and most recreation and tourism activities can all be operated safely under Level 2,” Mr Roberts says.

Tourism businesses are fully committed to operating in a safe and responsible manner. Level 2 operating guidelines are being developed for sectors and individual businesses, including provisions for comprehensive contact tracing.

Individual businesses will have track and tracing processes in place for their customers before they open their doors, Mr Roberts says.

“Many tourism businesses will simply not be viable if stringent travel restrictions continue at Level 2. For example, only 2000 of the 25,000 Ruapehu ski season passholders live within 100km of the mountain.

“The Level 2 guidelines specifically allow for activities like bungy jumping and kayaking tours to resume, but there’s little point opening your business if you can only have locals as customers.”

Tourism businesses need to be able to start taking domestic winter bookings as soon as possible. If they are unable to start trading soon, many will be mothballed well before our international borders are reopened, he says.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

New research released today shows that Kiwis love travelling around New Zealand. The research, carried out for TIA by Angus & Associates, shows that three in four New Zealand residents took an overnight domestic trip for leisure purposes in the year ending March 2020.

Overall satisfaction with their most recent trip averaged 8.7 out of 10, with half of all travellers reporting that their experience had exceeded their expectations. Northland, Coromandel Peninsula, Hawke’s Bay and the wider Canterbury region recorded the highest satisfaction levels.

“The next few months will be an amazing opportunity for Kiwis to experience the best New Zealand has to offer – and have the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping to save the livelihoods of other Kiwis,” Mr Roberts says.

“Tourism is the most impacted sector of the economy and faces the longest recovery. We are calling on the Government to take a sensible and safe approach to kickstarting our recovery.”

To read the latest Domestic Visitor Satisfaction research, go to: https://tia.org.nz/resources-and-tools/insight/domestic-satisfaction-report/

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.