The next wave of tourists is on their way to New Zealand as the country moved to the next phase of its border reopening on Monday.
The Government announced in March that from 11:59pm on Sunday, vaccinated visitors from visa-waiver countries can finally enter New Zealand quarantine-free for the first time in over two years.
Tourists coming into the country are still required to complete a COVID-19 pre-departure and arrival test.
Prior to COVID-19, tourism contributed 5.5 percent to New Zealand's GDP, bringing in about $41 billion altogether, and international tourists made up $17 billion of that. It was also responsible for 8 percent of our national workforce.
Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran said almost 1000 people will arrive on the first three flights, which will come from LA, San Francisco and Fiji.
The first flight scheduled to touch down at Auckland Airport is Air New Zealand flight NZ5, arriving from Los Angles at 5:45am.
Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty said the flight will be packed with customers and excitement.
"We've got three flights arriving into Auckland on May 2, which are filled to the brim with overseas visitors and returning Kiwis thrilled to land on New Zealand shores once again as they reconnect with family, start their studies or build their businesses," Geraghty said.
"It's great to have international tourists being able to visit our beautiful country again and explore everything Aotearoa New Zealand has to offer."
The two other Air New Zealand flights arriving at Auckland Airport are NZ7 from San Francisco arriving at 6:10am and NZ953 from Nadi arriving at 5pm.
New Zealand has already reopened the border to vaccinated Australians and some international students back in April.
Tourism Minister Stuart Nash and Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said the welcome mat is out for citizens of visa-waiver nations, with around 25 flights scheduled to arrive in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
"Our reconnecting strategy is about even more than reuniting family and friends, it is a crucial part of strengthening our economic recovery," Nash said.
"We are a safe place to visit, and in a world still battling COVID-19, travellers will be discerning about where they go.
"Today marks a milestone for visitors from our key northern hemisphere markets in the USA, UK, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada and others, who can now jump on a plane to come here."
Nash said direct flights will arrive on Monday from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Australia, Nadi, and Rarotonga while there will be many connecting flights bringing people from further afield.
"We are currently seeing around 33,000 arrivals per week and we know today's changes will further boost arrivals as interest in travel to New Zealand remains high," he said.
"International flight searches to NZ are running 19 percent higher than pre-COVID (March-April 2019)."
Major international airlines Emirates, Air Canada, Malaysian Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, LATAM Airlines and Air Tahiti Nui will be restarting routes to New Zealand while Air New Zealand is also adding long-haul routes from San Francisco, Honolulu, Houston, New York and Chicago.
"Our tourism destinations are amongst the world's best. The industry knows there is a rebuild ahead. International travel will be very competitive and airlines will take time to build up their schedules and routes," Nash said
"However today is a day to celebrate, and is a big moment in our reconnection with the world."
Faafoi said the Government is continuing to review New Zealand's reconnecting strategy to see if it's possible to bring forward the final steps of the border reopening plan sooner than previously signalled.
Timeline of New Zealand's COVID-19 border
- March 2020: New Zealand and Australia both closed their borders to foreigners as the novel coronavirus COVID-19 swept the globe.
- April 19, 2021: After a year closed off to the world, Australia and New Zealand opened the short-lived Trans-Tasman quarantine-free travel bubble.
- July 23, 2021: The Trans-Tasman bubble was suspended by New Zealand as Australia struggled to contain COVID-19 outbreaks in Sydney and Melbourne. It was a traveller from Sydney who brought the Delta variant to New Zealand in August, sparking Auckland's months-long lockdown.
- August 12, 2021: The Government announced its Reconnecting New Zealanders to the World plan, with a self-isolation trial signalled as the beginning of returning to normality.
- November 24, 2021: The Government announced that home isolation would be allowed for vaccinated Kiwis coming from Australia from January 17, vaccinated Kiwis arriving from other countries from February 14, and vaccinated people from all countries from April 30.
- December 21, 2021: The Government postponed its reopening plan due to the threat of the new Omicron variant.
- February 3, 2022: The Government announced new border reopening dates, with most international tourists able to enter by July.
- February 28, 2022: The Government dropped its self-isolation requirement for fully-vaccinated travellers.
- March 3, 2022: The Government confirmed the dates for when tourists could return after just giving a 'July' date. Vaccinated Australians could arrive from April 12 and vaccinated visa waiver tourists from May 1. A pre-departure test is required and two tests during the trip.
- March 3, 2022: Australia fully opened its border to vaccinated travellers, after Western Australia became the last state to end border restrictions.
- March 20, 2022: The Government dropped its isolation requirements for unvaccinated Kiwi travellers. Vaccination requirements still apply to non-New Zealand citizens, including permanent residents, unless they have an exemption.
- April 12, 2022: Border reopens to vaccinated Australian tourists quarantine-free.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in March that unvaccinated travellers will eventually be welcomed to New Zealand but "we haven't made those decisions".
As part of the five-step board reopening plan, from October, the border will fully reopen to visitors from anywhere in the world and all visa categories fully reopen.
