New Zealanders and Australians rushed to book flights on Tuesday as the beleaguered tourism industry welcomed the “lifeline” of a travel bubble between the largely coronavirus-free neighbours.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the two-way, quarantine-free travel corridor would open from 11:59pm on April 18.
Jim Boult, the mayor of New Zealand’s Queenstown, called the move a “saviour for businesses”.
“This is the lifeline we needed; this is what we’ve been asking for,” he said.
