Covid 19 coronavirus: West Coast tourism eager for transtasman bubble

Fox Glacier Guiding chief Rob Jewell told Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB that pre-Covid, Australians made up about 32 per cent of his business. Photo / 123RF

A West Coast tourism business is eagerly awaiting the opening of a travel bubble with Australia.

The Cabinet is meeting today to sign off a starting date, which Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will reveal in a press conference this afternoon.

Fox Glacier Guiding chief Rob Jewell told Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB that pre-Covid, Australians made up about 32 per cent of his business.

"If it's Australians only and obviously they've got nowhere else to go we are certainly hoping we can increase that 32 per cent and it will be a game-changer"

Jewell said it'll be a big boost to business and would help them significantly as they start to rebuild.

The Australian reported this morning that the bubble was expected to begin next Monday, April 12, or the following Monday, April 19, according to the newspaper's federal government and industry sources.

Airlines and airports stressed yesterday that they were ready to go, and Air NZ is planning to operate quarantine-free flights from April 12 from Auckland to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

But that date, the Herald has been told, is not necessarily an indication of where Cabinet will land for a starting date, which won't be today but is still expected to be before the end of the month.

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry tourism chief John Hart told the Australian "the 19th was pretty much definite".

"That's what the airlines have been told and they've already started bookings."