"We are pleased to hear the news that the negative pre-departure test requirement for entering New Zealand will be dropped at 11.59pm on Monday.

The team and I at Flight Centre Travel Group have been firm on our opinion that the requirement was no longer necessary since April when Omicron was well and truly prevalent in the community. It was admitted by the government over a month ago that official health advice suggested the requirement was no longer serving its purpose, we are glad they are finally acting upon this advice.

We are confident that the border relaxations will encourage more tourists to visit Aotearoa and hope this will go a long way in improving airline capacity and subsequent prices for our customers.

The next step will be to fully open our borders and you do have to question why this is still on hold until July 31st considering the state of our economy.

As many New Zealanders leave the country for work opportunities, we need more visitors on work visas to enter our country – build our houses, pick our kiwifruit and help service the soon-to-be influx of tourists."

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