Here’s a 60-second speed-read of Asia Travel Re:Set Issue #41, published on 23 May 2021.
This special issue analysed 8 Reasons Why New Zealand May Be a Benchmark for the Future of Tourism in Asia Pacific.
So, here are 8 things we learned last week…
1) “Progressive” View on Vaccinated Travel
2) Travel Bubble Expediency
PM Ardern suggested the Trans-Tasman Travel Bubble to Australia in April 2020, and drove the terms to develop it. She also opened a bubble with Cook Islands. Travel bubbles are a short-term expedient, and New Zealand will gradually shift towards a “vaccinated traveller” stance.
3) Regional, Not National, Vaccine Programme
New Zealand’s COVID-19 vaccine programme will begin for the general population in July. Interestingly, the government is also purchasing vaccines for the South Pacific nations of Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, Sāmoa, Tonga and Tuvalu.
4) A “Trusted” Destination
The concept of trust is often neglected in the rush to reopen borders. This is a mistake. Consumer sentiment surveys in Asia suggest travellers will choose their next holiday locations based on COVID safety. New Zealand will certainly be a trusted, and in-demand, destination.
- Subscribers to Asia Travel Re:Set receive the Asia Pacific Travel & Tourism Report on the final Sunday of each month:
- Read Issue 1, March 2021, here
- Read Issue 2, April 2021, here
- Read Issue 3, May 2021, here
5) A Leader in Self-Drive Trips
Self-drive tourism expanded fast in recent years as Asian tourists took to the roads across New Zealand. Excellent highways and vehicle rental system and dramatic landscapes viewable from the roadside mean New Zealand is well positioned to pick up where it left off.
6) Tackling Tourism Pricing
In 2019, New Zealand introduced the NZD35 International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy “to help pay for conservation and tourism infrastructure.” The country was ahead of the game. Many destinations are likely to revisit tourism pricing after the pandemic.
7) Tourism & Environmental Protection
8) Sustainable Aviation Fuels & Low-Carbon Aircraft
Before COVID-19, a national debate was shaping up about the future of low-emission aviation. Air New Zealand has published a white paper, Sustainable Aviation Fuel in New Zealand, about developing non-fossil aircraft fuel from “landfill waste and forestry residues.”
This is a summary version of Asia Travel Re:Set Issue #41: “8 Reasons Why New Zealand May Be a Benchmark for the Future of Tourism”