New Zealand Sees First Cruise Ship In Auckland Harbor Since Pandemic
New Zealand welcomes Carnival Australia’s Pacific Explorer
Friday morning saw the arrival of Carnival Australia’s Pacific Explorer cruise ship in Auckland, with around 2,000 passengers and crew on board. The stop is part of the cruise ship’s return trip to Fiji, which originally sailed from Sydney.
https://twitter.com/CLIAUK/status/1558044067140980736?s=20&t=UCJAFfZFZpwOVvWDrWy9zA
The Washington Post quotes Tourism Minister Stuart Nash in an interview with The Associated Press. Of the event, Nash said, “Amazing, isn’t it?” adding:
It’s another step in the reopening of our borders and a step closer to resuming business as usual.
However, he said it will take some time for international visitor numbers and tourism revenue to return to pre-pandemic levels. Prior to 2020, tourism accounted for around 20 percent of New Zealand’s foreign income, as well as more than 5 percent of GDP.
Those in the tourism industry worldwide know how New Zealand feels right now as everywhere in the world has suffered.
“I think there’s been many people in the tourism sector who have done it hard over the last two years,” Nash added. “But we’ve always taken an approach where we need to ensure that we get the health response right. Because if we don’t, we know the consequences are dire.”
New Zealand resets its priorities
Nash explained that the pause in tourism has given New Zealand a chance to reset its priorities. One of those priorities is to go after what he described as wealthier “high quality” tourists. He said these would stay longer and have a story to tell when they got home. Nash added:
We are not targeting the guys that come over and put up on Facebook, ‘Hey, travel around New Zealand on $10 a day living on 2-minute noodles.
Meanwhile, he said another of their goals is to move away from certain perceptions relating to the tourism industry. One of these is that people working in the industry are subject to long hours and low wages. New Zealand plans to make it a more rewarding and inspirational career.
According to Nash, airline tickets are now more expensive, and travelers are not so likely to take risks as they did before the pandemic. While this will mean tourism numbers are low for a while, he feels the tourism industry will eventually come back stronger than ever.
The Pacific Explorer enters Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland through a misty rainbow from #Sparky’a water cannon. Sparky is Ao/NZ’s first electric tugboat and the Pacific Explorer is the first cruise ship to visit in 2 1/2 years! @pandocruises pic.twitter.com/TIjqQdOae1
— Chris McKeen (@McKeenPhotos) August 12, 2022
Attracting richer tourists
Nash explained that he sees markets like the United States as being important for New Zealand. According to him, there has been $2 trillion saved in the US over and above what would have been saved if it hadn’t been for the pandemic. Nash theorizes that there is a “little bit of money floating around.”
In similar news, it was recently reported that Bhutan is taking a different stance with visitors. The Asian country openly admits that it is looking for richer tourists, by hiking its daily tourism tax.
Meanwhile, when it comes to New Zealand, not everyone is happy about the return of tourists. When the cruise ship arrived, a sailboat laden with protesters followed the Pacific Explorer into Auckland’s harbor. They are concerned about the tourism industry’s impact on the country’s environment.
https://twitter.com/ShortyWest2/status/1558281164204679169?s=20&t=UCJAFfZFZpwOVvWDrWy9zA
However, passengers on the cruise ship were warmly greeted with an Indigenous Māori welcome, as well as a visit by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.