WELLINGTON, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The announcement of trans-Tasman travel bubble with Australia will usher in the next stage of Wellington's economic rebound, chief of the Wellington region's economic development, events and promotions agency said on Tuesday.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday announced that Australians will be allowed to enter the country without mandatory quarantine from April 19.
Australia is Wellington's largest international visitor market, accounting for 37 percent of all international travellers in the year ending December 2019.
John Allen, chief executive of WellingtonNZ, said Wellington businesses have displayed a spine of resilience since the country went into lockdown in March last year.
"It's been an unsettling time for many businesses, particularly those in the tourism, accommodation, hospitality and retail sectors. They will be breathing a collective sigh of relief over the opening of the trans-Tasman bubble. It is the flickering of an economic light at the end of a very long COVID tunnel," Allen said.
In the year ending December 2019, about 156,000 Australians arrived at Wellington International Airport. Of those, about 80,000 came primarily to visit family and friends according to their arrival cards, 27,600 for business and 31,000 for a holiday.
A recent survey by Tourism New Zealand in Australia found 2.3 million Australians were contemplating a trip to New Zealand when the borders reopened. Enditem
