Zoe Hunter: Domestic tourism great to see, but what about our travel agents?

COMMENT:

It's great to see our region looking lively again.

The campgrounds are filling up and people finding confidence in moving about the Bay again after being in lockdown for so long.

It's an unexpected surprise for most campgrounds as holidaymakers explore their own backyards in what is normally a quiet time of year for most accommodation providers.

Now is when people have their bags packed with a return ticket to somewhere sunny to escape the winter. Instead, they are exchanging their overseas holidays for a trip around New Zealand.

While that means domestic tourism has been pumping, where does it leave our travel agents?

The ones who promote travel worldwide have been left feeling annihilated, frustrated and helpless since the borders closed to travellers.

The outbound industry, worth $4.5 billion nationally, is in dire straits with the cut-off date for wage subsidies in September expected to put added pressure on overheads and be another "blow" for the sector.

Despite the challenges and job losses, travel agents remain focused on the industry's recovery and are staying optimistic.

They say now is a good time to plan overseas travel for the future. Not book, but plan.

In the meantime, bookings have proved popular for national destinations such as Queenstown, Christchurch and tours of the South Island and Marlborough Sounds.

To help kickstart the tourism industry post-Covid-19, I have a challenge for you.

Book a holiday to explore New Zealand. Visit somewhere you haven't been before, hire a campervan and explore your own backyard.

And once the borders re-open, plan at least one overseas trip and buy a plane ticket.

Supporting domestic and international tourism is what is going to help the industry come back fighting.