Samoa encouraged by quarantine-free travel arrangement between Australia and New Zealand
- Travel bubble between New Zealand and the Cook Islands is slated for May
- Establishment of the Trans-Tasman bubble inspires confidence among Pacific tourism operators
- The bubble will provide crucial mutual benefits for all Pacific nations
The Samoa Tourism Authority (STA) is encouraged by the quarantine-free travel arrangement started last night between Australia and New Zealand.
This comes following the news that a two-way travel bubble between New Zealand and the Cook Islands is slated for May.
STA welcomes the announcement as yet another important precursor to a broader Pacific travel bubble, which will restart tourism and allow a number of Pacific Islands, including Samoa, to rebuild and accelerate its economic recovery.
Samoa Tourism Authority’s CEO Fa’amatuainu Lenata’i Suifua declared: “The establishment of the Trans-Tasman bubble inspires confidence among Pacific tourism operators that a Pacific travel bubble is also inevitable.”
The bubble will provide crucial mutual benefits for all Pacific nations, as well as Australia and New Zealand, in rebounding from the economic challenges presented by the global COVID-19 pandemic and Samoa will be looking to its diaspora in New Zealand to help boost its economy when travel resumes safely, hopefully by the end of the year. The health and safety of the local Samoan aiga (family) remains the government’s highest priority.
With vaccinations being rolled out, alongside the introduction of increased procedures – including contact tracing and regular testing – a strong framework has been developed.
