Australia-New Zealand travel could open on state-by-state basis
Victoria might find itself uninvited to the Australia-New Zealand travel party.
By David Flynn, July 7 2020
The eagerly-anticipated 'travel bubble' between Australia and New Zealand could go ahead on a state-by-state basis and potentially excluding Victoria, NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has suggested, following a surge of Covid-19 cases in Melbourne.
Passengers darting between the two countries would be allowed to do so without undergoing a 14-day quarantine period.
With a New Zealand general election now set for September 19, reopening the country to Australia travellers – especially with the ski season now underway – would deliver a massive tourism-driven boost to the economy, but carries the risk of a vote-flipping coronavirus outbreak.
Creating even a state-based bubble would be a shot in the arm for the New Zealand economy, with Tourism Research Australia estimating that each Australian visitor to New Zealand spends $2,740 (Kiwis popping across the pond drop around $1,700 each).
All-in, or state by state?
"There are some countries who have a similar strategy to New Zealand around eliminating community transmission and have plans around how to deal with it if it ever crops up, and Australia is in that category," Ardern told New Zealand's TVNZ.
"We have a system that would work with a state-by-state approach or a whole country approach. If it's whole country we'll be waiting, because obviously there is community transmission in Victoria and we can't risk that."
Ardern's comments come as the border between New South Wales and Victoria officially closes from 11.59pm Tuesday July 7.
Queensland's borders will reopen to all states except Victoria after Friday July 10, while South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania are also revisiting their border closures at the likely expense of Victoria.
"At the moment, Australia wants to move as a country rather than state-by-state and obviously issues in Victoria are delaying that," Ardern noted. "But if they choose to move state by state, that’s a matter for them and that of course would allow things to open up sooner."
Restricting travel to New Zealand from specific Australian states would be possibly only if those states had their own border controls well in place, Ardern said, so that someone from Victoria could not detour via another state to enter New Zealand.
"Some of the states have actually put their own borders up, so they've created their own state bubbles," she added.
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
07 May 2020
Total posts 151
Very very unlikely to happen anytime soon. I think someone apply put it "Covid 19, the worst thing that never happened to Australia "
29 Jan 2020
Total posts 36
We can't stay closed forever, perhaps a very gradual start, Auckland to Brisbaneew Zealand for a month, and monitor the results.
To better monitor it, perhaps having the Covid app is a requirement to travel?
29 Jan 2020
Total posts 36
Should read Auckland to Brisbane
Thai Airways International - Royal Orchid Plus
15 Jan 2013
Total posts 458
adelaide to auckland should begin again but only as nonstops on air new zealand.the other way if the domestic borders reopen is going via sydney on qantas.
13 May 2020
Total posts 827
flights from BNE, OOL & SYD to ZQN should open very soon, or kiwis won't get any Australians going skiing in NZ.
26 Jun 2020
Total posts 8
Definitely not going to happen unless it's totally under control in whole country. NZ has general elections coming up there is NO WAY they would let anyone travel in the expense of resurrecting Covid there, it would be a political suicide. And even after that, no one would dare to bare the responsibility of letting covid back into their country for some time. Unless a vaccine or a an effective cure is found, not gonna happen.
13 May 2020
Total posts 827
maybe day after election. Sounds like getting a change of govt. Businesses apparently want labour gone, if you believe polls.
13 May 2020
Total posts 827
what vaccine/cure ? Might never ever be one. We'll all get it & most will survive.
Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer
12 Apr 2017
Total posts 207
Quite right regular flyer - what is it with all these scared people in the world!! Political suicide to allow your country to fester and rot through isolation and enormous mental health issues rather than a few people getting a little bit ill, which is what humans do and survive anyway.
15 Mar 2018
Total posts 92
I'm packed and ready to go.
21 Mar 2012
Total posts 8
Lol. Naive to think this is going ahead any time soon. Flying is finished. Come back in 2022
13 May 2020
Total posts 827
international travel en masse within 3 months. It has to be or many economies will be in big trouble.
Singapore Airlines - The PPS Club
11 Sep 2015
Total posts 47
Agree that international travel will have to be eased within next 3-6 months to save many economies. Reckon it will be on a 'bubble' basis though. e.g Australia to/from NZ, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, EU countries, and possibly UK. AUSGOV .
If int travel has to wait for a vaccine the impact would be crippling.
Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer
12 Apr 2017
Total posts 207
Poptop. Your comment is ridiculous. What are you scared of? Have you never got ill before and recovered. Do you think you will never get ill again?
21 Mar 2012
Total posts 8
Still think it’s ridiculous?
12 Jul 2020
Total posts 3
Absolutely. There's no problem opening the border with Australia. Of course people would need to quarantine
Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer
12 Apr 2017
Total posts 207
Yes, still very ridiculous. What is going to happen in 2022? The virus will still be with us in 2022, 2032 & 2052 and long after you and I die. So what is the reasoning for keeping borders closed? All the money spent so far in Government handouts could have been spent more wisely on more hospitals, quicker testing and ways to allow normality to return while the virus is amongst us. Shutting ourselves away and closing borders does no good. The virus will never disappear so cutting yourself away achieves nothing. You either cease civilisation or you allow immunity to start to spread. Hiding away for a month or a year or decade is a waste of time. The moment you start to open up the virus will spread again in communities which have no resistance. And don't tell me a vaccine will be the answer. Up to a billion people catch the flu each year with a million dying each year. And we have vaccine for flu. People will still catch this virus and die even when a vaccine is introduced.
Singapore Airlines - The PPS Club
11 Sep 2015
Total posts 47
Queensland-NZ bubble a possibility. QLDers want to ski and NZ seniors would like a break from the cold. Unfortunately opening up QLD borders on Friday will reduce likelihood due to risk of pesky Southerners bringing in nasties.
10 Jan 2018
Total posts 10
Doomsdayers and naysayers on here. If a state or territory can demonstrate it's Covid Free, then why wouldn't they open up? Extra controls by all means and hopefully joined by other states when they get the thing under control. Not worth any further damage to jobs and the NZ and state economies not to phase in a few sensible travel measures. If any state then gets a sniff of a second wave, then strike them off the invite list straight away.
06 Dec 2014
Total posts 27
The Morrison government stated quite categorically a few weeks ago that we should not expect our borders to be open this year. That will exclude the Kiwis from coming across. I'm not sure what the NZ Govt will do. I have a flight booked just before Xmas to go to a wedding which is still going to take place. I don't expect to get there.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
31 Dec 2017
Total posts 1
Open state by state
Why wait for Victoria to get its act together
QLD has been virus free for a long time and flights from BNE to Auckland and Christchurch via Qantas should be started ASAP to kick start economy with tourists from both sides of the ditch
05 Jun 2020
Total posts 32
In theory.. if it opens, as an Australian can I fly to NZ and then go elsewhere in the world? Would NZ stop AU citizens from flying to Europe say?
08 May 2020
Total posts 86
the only problem is when you return you probably need to Quarantine in NZ for 2 weeks and another 2 weeks in OZ after declaring where you been.
Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer
12 Apr 2017
Total posts 207
No problem with that, just let me go and I will do as necessary. But don't tell me I cannot leave the country if I want to.
05 Jun 2020
Total posts 32
Agreed. I've no problem with following and self-funding re-entry protocols either, but I don't plan to re-enter until 2021 anyway. Richard we better keep this possible loophole quiet from the government.. ha!
12 Jul 2020
Total posts 3
Lets open these borders so we can get to Oz for work.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 Mar 2019
Total posts 22
Would be great to have a PER-AKL route operated by Qantas
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