Web Analytics

New Zealand Reopens to International Travelers After Two Years

Wellington, New Zealand
Wellington, New Zealand [Image by Bernd Hildebrandt on Pixabay]

After a long, hard two-year period during the pandemic, New Zealand now welcomes back international travelers to its shores. Meanwhile, this applies to visitors from around 60 visa-waiver countries, including the US and the UK. Read on to find out more about the country’s phased reopening plan.

New Zealand reopens to international travelers

In recent months, New Zealand has relaxed its border controls, including allowing New Zealanders living abroad to return. The country also began welcoming visitors from its neighbor, Australia. However, as of May 2, 2022, New Zealand has reached a major milestone in its phased reopening plan. Effectively, the country has opened its borders to international travelers for the first time since the pandemic started in March 2020.

Already, thousands of vaccinated visitors from Canada, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the UK and the US have landed today. They traveled approximately 25 flights landing at Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington international airports.

An American tourist told RNZ that they had waited a long time to be able to visit. “I’m finally here. It’s amazing,” they said. Other travelers interviewed at the airport explained the delays they had experienced in getting to New Zealand.

Interest is high in travel to New Zealand

Speaking of the latest news at Auckland Airport, Tourism Minister Stuart Nash said that interest in travel to New Zealand is high. He said they are currently seeing around 33,000 arrivals each week, but they know that today’s change will attract more arrivals.

Auckland International Airport
Auckland International Airport [Image by Holger Detje on Pixabay]

According to Nash, international flight searches to New Zealand are currently running 19 percent higher than in pre-pandemic times. On top of this, a number of major airlines are restarting and adding new routes to meet the demand. Meanwhile, this includes the first-ever direct flights between New York City and New Zealand.

More routes to be added by major international airlines

Nash added that later in 2022, major international airlines like Air Canada, Air Tahiti Nui, Emirates, Hawaiian Airlines, LATAM Airlines and Malaysian Airlines are restarting routes. Meanwhile, Nash added that Air New Zealand will also add long-haul routes from Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, New York and San Francisco.

Current entry rules in New Zealand

With the latest changes, vaccinated travelers will no longer be required to quarantine on arrival. However, any traveler over the age of two must still test for COVID-19. They will require a pre-departure test and on landing in New Zealand will be given three rapid antigen tests to take home from the airport. One is for use on the first day of their arrival, while another is for use on day five or six. The third test is an extra rapid antigen test as a backup.

Any traveler with a positive test result will be asked to take a PCR test at a community testing station. This is required so that the country can keep up with any new emerging variants and, if necessary, isolate the patient.

Moreover, to be considered fully vaccinated, travelers must have had the primary course of a vaccine schedule. This means they have received at least two jabs, or in the course of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, one jab. A booster jab is not currently required for entry into New Zealand.

However, travelers who are not fully vaccinated will still need to undergo mandatory quarantine at a government-run center.

Travelers from outside the visa-waiver countries

For those travelers visiting New Zealand from outside the visa-waiver countries, the next step in the phased reopening of New Zealand will happen in October. At that time, the country will fully reopen to travelers from anywhere in the world.

Be sure to catch up on everything happening with Travel. Come back here often for Travel news and updates.