Auckland welcomed P&O's Pacific Explorer with its 2,000 passengers, marking the first time a cruise ship has visited New Zealand since the Covid pandemic began.
P&O's Pacific Explorer has become the first cruise ship to sail into New Zealand in nearly two and a half years. After sailing from Sydney, the Australia-based ship and its 2,000 passengers docked at Queens Wharf in the Waitematā Harbour on August 12 at around 7.30am today, marking the return of cruise tourism to New Zealand.
Before the pandemic, the cruise industry was a big source of income for the South Pacific country, contributing more than NZ$200 million a year to Auckland's economy alone and providing more than 3,000 jobs, according to The New Zealand Herald.
The country closed its borders in early 2020, when it first sought to completely eliminate the virus and then control its spread. In May, it started allowing international tourists from more than 50 countries on a visa-waiver list to enter.
"We, alongside the rest of the world, continue to manage a very live global pandemic, while keeping our people safe," said prime minister Jacinda Ardern in a speech at the China Business Summit in Auckland.
