First cruise ship since pandemic began arrives in NZ

New Zealand welcomed the first cruise ship today to return since the coronavirus pandemic began, signaling a long-sought return to normalcy for the nation's tourism industry.

The country closed its borders in early 2020 as it sought at first to eliminate COVID-19 entirely and then later to control its spread.

The end of restrictions allowed Carnival Australia's Pacific Explorer cruise ship to dock in Auckland with about 2,000 passengers and crew this morning as part of a 12-day return trip to Fiji that left from Sydney.

The government said it would take some time for international tourist numbers and revenues to return to their pre-pandemic levels, when the industry accounted for about 20% of New Zealand's foreign income and more than 5% of GDP.