Gidday mate!
Bubble sees PM turn travel agent
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has already begun her hard sales pitch to Aussies, pushing New Zealand as a “safe place to bring your family to visit”.
And this morning she is doing a round of Australian media to persuade would-be transtasman travellers to visit.
This comes after yesterday’s announcement that the muchanticipated transtasman travel bubble will come into force on April 19.
“Today is a new chapter in our recovery,” she said.
Speaking to media across the Tasman, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was singing a similar tune, saying the announcement was a “win/ win outcome”.
“This is an important first step,” he said, before adding New Zealand and Australia have “led the way” when it comes to dealing with Covid-19.
This was, Morrison said, the first of “many steps” to get back to normality.
Ardern told media yesterday the arrangement — in which a travel bubble will be in operation while an elimination strategy is pursued — was a world first.
From 11.59pm on Sunday, April 18, travellers from Australia will no longer be required to quarantine at a managed isolation facility before entering the country.
The announcement of the bubble’s start date was immediately welcomed by industry players.
BusinessNZ said it was a win for businesses on both sides of the Tasman; Wellington Airport said the news was a “delight” and Tourism Industry Aotearoa said the sector warmly welcomed the announcement.
Today is a new chapter in our recovery.
PM Jacinda Ardern
Speaking to media yesterday, Ardern was quick to pitch to Australians thinking about coming here.
“We are safe and [I] cannot underestimate how important that is in the Covid-19 world; we are a safe place to bring your family to come and visit,” she said.
She added that a trip to New Zealand would be the change of scene that so many Australians have been looking for.
“Now you have the option, come and see us,” she said.
Morrison, meanwhile, was also pitching Australia to Kiwis looking for a holiday.
“After spending all that time in New Zealand, for the past year, I’m sure that many will be keen to get on the plane and come across to Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia, Tasmania or wherever they would like to go.”
Ardern will spend today “acting as tourism promotion agent number one”.
And it appears she is taking her role very seriously.
Ardern revealed that when she spoke with Morrison on Sunday night the pair talked about when he would be able to come to New Zealand for face-to-face meetings.
“I expect that will be relatively soon,” she said.
“I’ll be looking to use the opportunity to take Prime Minister Morrison to an area that has previously enjoyed high levels of international visitors and that we want to put back on the world stage.”
In establishing the bubble, Ardern