Interview: Politics, housing, and travel bubbles
It was a pleasure to talk to Andy Thompson on The Muster recently about politics, housing, and how the Trans-Tasman travel bubble help or hinder regional economies.
Tourism
Winter will still be tough for some destinations
The Trans-Tasman bubble will not be a silver bullet for every tourism destination over the winter months. Put simply – many kiwi destinations may struggle to attract Aussie travellers during the colder months, and instead will miss out on New Zealanders who head to warmer destinations across the ditch.
Will Australians travel differently?
With a two-way Trans-Tasman bubble set to kick off after more than a year of border closures, my mind has turned towards thinking how travel patterns may have evolved in the intervening time.
Trade surplus still offsets lost visitor spend
New Zealand’s export performance has been an enduring good news story. Incredibly, the expansion to the trade surplus during 2020 has more than offset the reduction of foreign visitor spending to date.
Cook Islands travel bubble: ‘soft aid’ from kiwi sunseekers
A potential New Zealand-Cook Islands travel bubble is a perpetual mirage on the horizon for kiwi travellers. The bubble would not just be a boon for kiwi sunseekers, but it could also be a $200m+ form of ‘soft aid’ that is a saviour of the Cook Islands economy.
Where were the school holiday spending hotspots?
The school holidays are behind us. Parents may be sighing with relief their dear children are no longer running riot, but many of our visitor destinations are back on tenterhooks as they wait to see whether the initial sugar rush of domestic travel can be sustained.
Trade surplus growth exceeds lost visitor spending
GOOD NEWS STORY: New Zealand’s trade surplus is sitting at record levels. What’s more, the expansion to the trade surplus has more than offset reduced international visitor spending.
First volley in domestic flight price war?
Jetstar is making a shrewd pitch for custom in the domestic market from people that are more price sensitive than they were in the relatively secure pre-Covid world. With people worrying more about their financial situations, there is arguably more scope for discount airlines to gain a bigger foothold than before.
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Air NZ needs to go back to its global financial ...
Things may get worse, before they get better, but Air New Zealand is a seasoned survivor. Following the Global Financial Crisis, the airline was one of the few to come through unscathed, remarkably remaining profitable even when the sky fell in for other airlines.
Novel coronavirus’s regional economic impact
The economic impacts of coronavirus are already being felt in our regions. With this context in mind, it is important to recap some of the key channels through which regional economies are being affected.
Jetstar’s regional withdrawal not just bad for airfares
Jetstar’s withdrawal from the regional market is a blow not just for consumers, but also economic and social development in the provinces.