SPEED UP DEAL, BRO
Airport boss urges Oz-NZ travel bubble haste
THE Gold Coast Airport boss is urging Australian and New Zealand governments to “fast-track” trans-Tasman travel zone talks for the sake of a crucial tourism recovery.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday held initial talks with his Kiwi equivalent Jacinda Ardern in a
National Cabinet meeting with a “trans-Tasman bubble” top of the agenda.
Queensland Airports CEO Chris Mills said NZ was one of the city’s main visitor markets and “we are really keen to see trans-Tasman travel opened up when it is safe to do so’’.
THE Gold Coast Airport boss is urging Australian and New Zealand governments to “fast-track” trans-Tasman travel zone talks for the sake of a crucial tourism recovery.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday held initial historic talks with his Kiwi equivalent Jacinda Ardern in a National Cabinet meeting with a “trans-Tasman bubble” top of the agenda.
Mr Morrison said they discussed opening the borders but admitted it was still “some way off”.
Ms Ardern said she felt “comfortable and confident” NZ would not receive
COVID-19 cases from Australia if travel between the two countries resumed.
“Equally we won’t export them,” she said.
Queensland Airports CEO Chris Mills urged Mr Morrison to fast-track the idea.
“We are really keen to see trans-Tasman travel opened up when it is safe to do so. We would encourage the Australian and NZ governments to fast track this idea,” he said.
“The Gold Coast tourism industry would benefit greatly from easing travel restrictions, in line with health advice, because NZ is one of our main visitor markets.”
Fellow Gold Coast tourism and political leaders said our “Kiwi cousins” would be welcomed back, with plans already afoot to market the Gold Coast across the ditch again as a key plank of reviving the city’s $6 billion tourism industry.
It would be a Slice of Heaven for Destination Gold Coast CEO Annaliese Battista who said the talks were an “enormously good” development.
“The city is well loved by Kiwis and we were having successful traction with our most recent campaign right up until the borders were closed,” she said. “It makes sense from a health and economic point of view and we will welcome our Kiwi cousins back.
“NZ has a unique love affair with the Gold Coast and this is something we would like to capitalise on.”
Yesterday’s appearance by Ms Ardern was the first time a NZ Prime Minister has been in a national cabinet since World War II, 75 years ago.
Last year 212,000 Kiwi tourists visited the Gold Coast and 1.3 million visited Australia overall.
Mayor Tom Tate yesterday backed the trans-Tasman bubble, saying it would be welcome to the Coast’s large Kiwi population.
Meanwhile, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, said ending the NSW-Queensland border closure was unlikely in the short term.
“We review the border restrictions at the end of the month. I can’t see that happening any time soon.”
THE priorities to emerge out of the devastating impact the threat of coronavirus is having on the Gold Coast economy will be many.
But among the most pressing has to be the possibility of opening up trans-Tasman borders between New Zealand and Australia. And yes, between the Gold Coast and the Land of the Long White Cloud, which has traditionally been this city's biggest source of visitors outside of China.
New Zealand was the Gold Coast’s number one visitor market internationally for years before the Chinese juggernaut and its emerging middle class hit top spot. But it will be the Kiwis along with our fellow Australians who lead the tourism recovery the city is going to desperately need to get back on its feet.
Political battlelines and typical protocols are being redrawn given the times. It was an inspired move to invite New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (a one-time most preferred Australian Prime Minister poll winner, ahem) into the National Cabinet meeting yesterday.
The item that was top of mind for Gold Coast Inc. was the prospect of getting a trans-Tasman travel “bubble” up and running sooner rather than later.
The initial noises from Ms Ardern and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison were it would not be a reality any time soon – but it is on the agenda.
Queensland Airports CEO Chris Mills, whose body oversees Gold Coast Airport is rightly calling for such talks to be fasttracked.
This is going to be a key peg in not just the Gold Coast and Queensland’s recovery but New Zealand’s too. It has a ski season looming and it would be nice to think Australians could head over to enjoy it – while Kiwis will no doubt be crying out for a warmer temperatures and theme park visits. This must be a priority nationally as soon as it is safe and practical to do so.