New Zealand Covid-19 restrictions could scare off visitors this summer

New Zealand's Covid restrictions could turn away thousands of international tourists this summer, says one tourism expert.

The Tourism Export Council said around 20 per cent of US travellers planning a visit are reconsidering thanks to restrictions.

Council Chief Executive Lynda Keene told Newstalk ZB that arrival testing, the traffic light system and the traveller declaration forms are cited as the biggest obstacles.

Keene said New Zealand had received "higher than anticipated demand from travellers in the US and other core members, thanks to it's strong reputation as a destination.

"Summer is shaping up to be about a 55-60 per cent recovery, we anticipate," she said of the tourism industry.

Reputation will only get New Zealand so far

Keene warned that, while the summer looked positive, it could take a hit if New Zealand didn't catch up with other countries and revise Covid-19 restrictions.

"There is a lot of nervousness we might get a wash factor of 10-20 per cent if we don't change these settings very soon," she said of international tourists.

Keene said there were "murmurings" of visitors booking multi-destination trips that could easily skip New Zealand if it seemed too difficult to get in.

"Visitors are booking a New Zealand/Australia/Mediterranean holiday with their offshore travel agent because they're not 100 per cent certain or clear that NZ is fully open," she said.

Travellers would likely call their travel agent two to four weeks before departure to check on New Zealand. If restrictions seemed too cumbersome, they would remove it from the itinerary.

Keene said arrival testing, the orange traffic light settings and the "complicated" New Zealand Travel Declaration were to blame.

Around the world, many countries that rely heavily on tourism have ditched health declarations and pre-departure or arrival testing. Today, Fiji announced they were dropping arrival tests.

"We've just moved too slow," Keene said, adding that New Zealand was competing for international travellers in a global marketplace.

Keene hoped that, by early next year, things would be in better shape.

"Hopefully by the time we get to January, working holiday visas have come back in, businesses have been able to upscale and increase their workforces," she said.

In the meantime, it would be "a bit of 'wait and see'".

Where are Americans travelling?

In 2021, all destinations saw an increase in American tourists, bar two regions; Asia and Oceania.

According to data from the International Trade Administration's National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO), the number of US citizens travelling to places like Europe, South America, Africa and even the Middle East increased upwards of 100 per cent compared to 2020.

Meanwhile, Oceania dropped 74 per cent, and Asia, 44 per cent.

Little has changed this year, so far. As of June, just 146,739 US citizens have travelled to Oceania this year according to the data, which represents 0.4 per cent of total outbound travel.

In 2019, this number was more than double, almost hitting 1 million for a market share of 1 per cent.

This could change as the Southern Hemisphere enters summer and becomes a more attractive destination.