Global EditionASIA 中文双语Français
World
Home / World / Asia-Pacific

Emotions bubble over in Tasman reunions

Xinhua | Updated: 2021-04-20 09:40
Share
Share - WeChat
New Zealand travelers are seen as quarantine-free travel between Australia and New Zealand begins, at Sydney International Airport, Australia, April 19, 2021. [Photo/Agencies]

QUEENSTOWN, New Zealand-Families reunited in emotional scenes on Monday as Australia and New Zealand launched a quarantine-free travel bubble that opened the borders almost 400 days after its pandemic-enforced closure.

There were group hugs and enthusiastic welcomes at airport terminals on both sides of the Tasman Sea as the long-awaited bubble sparked joy and relief.

Lorraine Wratt, a New Zealander stranded by the pandemic while visiting family in Australia, said that traveling again was "wonderful".

"We came to Australia on Dec 11 to spend Christmas with our children… planning to go back in February, it's been a bit of a nightmare," she said.

On a grass embankment at the foot of Wellington Airport's runway, the words "WELCOME WHANAU" (family) were spelled out in giant letters and Maori dancers performed a traditional greeting in the terminal.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the joyful scenes were like something from a movie.

'Love actually'

"Love Actually … I imagine it's pretty close to that," she said, referencing the 2003 British romantic comedy.

With the borders open, Ardern said Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison would visit New Zealand in the "not too distant future".Ardern said Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne would travel to New Zealand on Wednesday.

Despite the excitement of open borders, Morrison and Ardern warned travelers to prepare for disruptions to their travel at short notice in the event of outbreaks, and said the risks of quarantine-free travel will be under "constant review".

Both leaders also flagged the possibility of extending quarantine-free travel to other countries in the Pacific region when "it is safe to do so".

The bubble, which followed months of negotiations between the largely coronavirus-free neighbors, was hailed as a milestone in restarting a global travel industry that has been crippled by the pandemic.

Australia was New Zealand's largest source of international tourists before the pandemic, accounting for about 1.5 million arrivals or 40 percent of total visitors in 2019.

But on the first day of the bubble, most of the travelers were returning New Zealanders, with tourists expected to start arriving in large numbers during the upcoming Australian school holidays.

Queenstown resident Sean Mackenzie said the travel bubble was a shot in the arm for the South Island tourist hub, where businesses have struggled without overseas visitors.

"In six months, I reckon it will be packed. It'll be sweet."

Both Australia and New Zealand are also included in the so-called green list of eight countries and regions for British travelers to visit without needing quarantine on their return after May 17, as the next part of the British government's COVID-19 recovery road map, which aims to revive the dormant international travel industry.

Other destinations placed on the green level are the United States, Iceland, Israel, Gibraltar, Malta and Ireland.

Agencies via Xinhua

Most Viewed in 24 Hours
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US