Borderline bubble benefits
Tourist spending is up in some corners of Southland and some operators worry an Australian travel bubble may reverse the trend.
Numerous Kiwis started exploring New Zealand during summer and many of them made their way south as borders continue to be shut down worldwide because of Covid-19.
The number of people coming through has been surprising in some corners of Southland. However, major tourism destination towns in Fiordland which rely on international tourists have taken a big hit because of the pandemic.
Tumu Toka CurioScape manager Kelly McGregor said there were plenty of North Islanders in Curio Bay at the moment, including some who had never been to the Catlins before.
As Covid-19 mutations emerge globally, McGregor is happy to keep borders closed and Kiwi dollars spent in New Zealand.
A third new variant of Covid19, this time linked to Brazil, has emerged, which shares similarities with the highlyinfectious variants from the United Kingdom and South Africa.
‘‘We’ve worked hard to keep it [Covid19] contained outside New Zealand,’’ McGregor said.
Another lockdown could mean ‘‘a lot of businesses will close. A lot of families will not be able to make it through’’, she said.
Domestic tourism numbers would reduce come winter, but better that than enduring another lockdown, she said.
Lumsden’s Route 6 Cafe and Bar owner Rob Scott, who was not sold on the net benefits of a two-way travel bubble with Australia, said: ‘‘Let’s keep New Zealanders in New Zealand.’’
His business was in the middle of a relatively busy summer, he said.
Australians spent $9 million in Southland in January 2020, which then fell to zero in April, the MBIE data shows.
Gore Visitor Centre tourism senior consultant Renatta Hardy said visitors to the area had always been mostly domestic tourists.
Covid-19 did not move the goalposts much, she said. Gore was getting visitors who would have normally holidayed in Australia, and picked Southland because of the pandemic, Hardy said. Riverton Holiday Park and Camping Ground owner Veronica Wiley said the winter months of 2020 were busier than normal.
Right now, the park is nearly empty and international tourists would normally fill the gaps at this time of year, she said. Once an Australian twoway bubble opened, she believed many people would be cautious about travelling overseas. Analysis published by Tourism NZ says 33 per cent of respondents to its survey are ready to come to New Zealand within three months of borders opening.
Based on a travel bubble opening by the end of March, Tourism NZ predicts it would take years for a complete rebound in Australian visitor numbers. Australian demand to travel to New Zealand will not recover to pre-Covid-19 levels until November 2022, the projection shows. The Government says a twoway quarantine-free bubble with Australia could be open by the end of March.
The latest Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment figures show tourists spent $56 million in Southland in October 2020.
That’s compared to a total spend of $53m in October 2019.
‘‘We’ve worked hard to keep it [Covid-19] contained outside New Zealand.’’ Kelly McGregor Tumu Toka CurioScape manager