New Zealand will partner with its fellow South Pacific nation for a travel bubble this month.
The Cook Islands will welcome Kiwi visitors from 17 May, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced earlier today.
Those who have been in New Zealand for the previous 14 days can travel to the Cook Islands capital of Rarotonga and return home without having to isolate or quarantine at either end of their trip.
The corridor is only open between the Cook Islands and New Zealand, with the Cooks’ maritime border remaining closed.
Cook Islands Tourism Corporation for Australasia General Manager Graeme West said the country’s residents are “waiting with open arms and big smiles” to greet their first visitors in over a year.
A bubble previously operated one-way between the two, with Cook Islanders required to quarantine upon return.
More in tomorrow’s Travel Daily.