Amanda Cropp05:00, May 07 2021
JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF
Tourism Minister Stuart Nash says vaccination will be important for workers in the tourism, hospitality and events sectors.
Tourism businesses are being urged to get frontline workers vaccinated against Covid-19, but operators are unsure where they stand legally if staff refuse. Tourism Minister Stuart Nash told the Trenz annual tourism industry conference on Thursday that vaccination was the key to keeping New Zealanders and overseas visitors safe, and the borders open. “I m very clear on this, we need to provide a safe environment for international tourists coming over here, and I think that’s the least of their expectations.
Supplied A strong and well-coordinated plan to welcome tourists back was essential, she said. “This combined with the vaccination roll-out provides us cautious optimism that we are starting to reach a turning point in our response to one of the most significant economic disruptors of our generation.” Westland District Mayor Bruce Smith was especially pleased with the $49 million allocated to assisting businesses, particularly in Fox Glacier and Franz Josef, that had gone into hibernation.
John Kirk-Anderson/Stuff
Regional forecasts show up to 80 per cent of jobs in Franz Josef are at risk. “That will be huge for us. The reality is that we’ve got to have attractions if we want people coming to visit us,” Smith said.
John Anthony and Siobhan Downes07:53, Apr 30 2021
A third more travellers are coming into New Zealand than going under the trans-Tasman bubble, but some in the travel sector say they are yet to see a boost in business from the relaxed border rules. Daily movements across the border data tracked by Stats NZ shows that in the first nine days of the bubble, which launched on April 19, New Zealand welcomed 30,936 arrivals, with 20,796 departures over the same period. While a small number of people travelling to and from other countries are also included in these figures, the majority were those travelling quarantine-free between New Zealand and Australia.
Go Orange is the adventure arm of the large Queenstown-based Wayfare Group. Wayfare chief executive Stephen England-Hall said in a statement that the Unimogs were surplus to current requirements. “I think there are better solutions to our future needs in a post-Covid world. “They’re a very high-end piece of equipment, so I’m sure some lucky new owners will enjoy them.” Go Orange had planned to start using the 10-tonne Unimogs in 2019 to transport whitewater rafters on the notorious Skippers Rd, a road once described as one of the world s most treacherous drives.
Brett Mills/Supplied
Road cones and tyre marks on the edge of the Skippers Rd at Pinchers Bluff from Unimogs driven by Go Orange.
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