New Zealand authorities have fully reopened the country's borders to international travelers by lifting the last of their COVID-19 restrictions, which were considered one of the toughest border regimes during the pandemic.

The nation began to reopen its borders in February by slowly lifting restrictions imposed on New Zealand residents. This was followed by the return of tourists in May from more than 50 countries including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

New Zealand Reopens Borders

It was on Sunday midnight when the final border restrictions ended with tourists from non-visa waiver countries, international students, and cruise ships allowed to enter the country. The majority of visits are still required to have received vaccination against the coronavirus and take two tests after arriving, but will not be required to quarantine.

In a speech at the China Business Summit in Auckland on Monday, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, "It's been a staged and cautious process on our part since February as we, alongside the rest of the world, continue to manage a very live global pandemic, while keeping our people safe," as per Aljazeera.

The country mostly kept the coronavirus pandemic at bay during the peak of its spread until the highly infectious Omicron variant in December rendered its tough border controls largely ineffective. At one point, the South Pacific nation boasted one of the lowest death tolls worldwide.

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However, its isolation decimated industries such as tourism and left thousands of New Zealand residents stranded overseas. Before the global health crisis, tourism and international education were New Zealand's biggest and fourth-largest exports, respectively, with the former employing more than 225,000 people.

According to Reuters, on top of allowing international travelers into the country, authorities will now also let cruise ships and foreign recreational yachts dock at its ports. International students were considered a significant contributor to New Zealand's economy and educational providers are hoping that by reopening the borders, they will again provide a boost to schools and universities.

Tourism Demand

In a statement, New Zealand Tourism Minister Stuart Nash said that the return of cruise ships will also provide a boost for local industries. He said that most cruise visits happen during the warmer months of October to April, and summer is the biggest bumper tourism season overall.

Ardern added that New Zealanders are hosts, noting that Manaakitangan [hospitality] streams through the people's veins. She noted that the country opened its arms to tourists and students, including from China, which prior to 2020 was the nation's largest source of international students and second-largest source of tourists.

The news was a positive thing for tourism operators, businesses, and educational providers despite predictions from Immigration New Zealand that visitors are more likely to trickle than flood in over the next few months.

Simon Sanders said that it was safe to say that the agency was not expecting the same level of demand prior to the coronavirus pandemic. The official noted that there were several factors that come into play, including travel restrictions in other countries, The Guardian reported.

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