New Zealand's decimated tourism industry finds out in a couple of hours how soon the border will reopen to overseas visitors.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern talking about New Zealand's reconnection plan last month. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will reveal the fast-track plans this morning.
Under the existing timeline, double-vaccinated tourists from visa-waiver countries can travel here by July, with the border fully reopening from October.
When announcing the border re-opening plan in February, Ardern signalled those dates would be brought forward.
The industry is hoping the new timeframe means it will be welcoming all travellers from as early as next month.
"Our best hope would be that we can at least have Australians for the April school holidays, which obviously includes Easter," Tourism Industry Aotearoa spokesperson Ann-Marie Johnson said. "Failing that, we would definitely want Australians and other visitors in in time for the ski season."
In the weeks since the Omicron wave began and New Zealand had gone into the red traffic light setting, even domestic travel had dried up, Johnson said.
Despite pent up demand for travel to New Zealand, it was "very unlikely" that there would be flood of visitors immediately.
"What today's announcement will do is give operators and travellers confidence that they can book ahead.
"Next summer would be when we would expect to see the most visitors start come in again."
"It's going to be a trickle rather than a flood, initially" - Tourism Industry Aotearoa spokesperson Ann-Marie Johnson
Some in the tourism sector have told RNZ they are expecting Australians to be able to travel to New Zealand from 15 April and then people in the rest of the world two weeks later.
It is understood the timing will depend on Omicron: tourists will not be able to return until cases have peaked.
Two years on from the border closures, tourist operators' reserves had "run dry", Johnson told Morning Report.
"Right now it's really a case of it's the darkest before the dawn.
"Apart from lockdown, the last few weeks have been the toughest.
"Since we went into red [traffic light setting] New Zealanders have stopped travelling, so we haven't been able to rely on those domestic travellers either.
"Tourism has pretty much stopped in the last few weeks, so we really need to get under way again and get back to business."
Australian tourists would be "great" to have back, Rotorua Canopy Tours general manager Paul Button told First Up.
Before Covid-19 border restrictions, the majority of its overseas customers were from Australia. They enjoyed the ski season and package tours as well as independent travel, he told First Up.
"The Australians are really good because they like to get out and about, they like to get to all parts of the country, they also like to book through travel agents as well as booking their own tours."
Pre-Covid, 40 percent of its business was from domestic travel, so even when overseas visitors returned the tour company would not immediately expand to employ new staff, Button said.
"We're hoping to hear the borders will open sooner than later to get a good winter in and then to get some momentum up for next summer" - Rotorua Canopy Tours general manager Paul Button
Destination Queenstown chairman Richard Thomas is hoping for a firm date for border reopening, some time in April, which would allow Australian visitors to start booking ski holidays.
Firm dates on when self isolation lifted would give confidence to longer haul markets and airlines would be able to schedule flights for those routes again, he said.
"When the borders shut we lost 70 percent of our market.
"We can't wait to see our Aussie mates back across the ditch."