The aviation and tourism sectors are set to benefit from the long-awaited two-way travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand as the confidence of potential travellers increases.
Australian Airports Association (AAA) Chief Executive, James Goodwin, said the new arrangement would allow Australians and New Zealanders to reconnect with family and friends.
“We can expect to see a lot of emotional scenes at our airports in two weeks with many families and friends reunited after not seeing each other for more than a year,” Mr Goodwin said.
“Our consumer research suggests Australians are eager to get on an aircraft and start travelling again with almost 80 per cent of Australians supportive of creating travel bubbles with countries where levels of COVID-19 are low.
“Australia’s airports have been calling for a cautious and planned approach to broadening the scope for international travel and this is a good start.”
Mr Goodwin said that Australia has been allowing New Zealanders to enter the country without quarantine for six months and welcomed the New Zealand Government’s decision to open the border and rebuild trust in travelling.
“As the vaccine rollout progresses, Australia should look to establish more bubbles with other COVIDSafe nations such as Singapore and consider developing pilot programs to bring in international students and agricultural workers,” Mr Goodwin said.
“International travel is the key to COVID recovery with international visitors spending on average three times more than domestic tourists.”
