‘The Kimberley has gone ballistic. It’s off the beaten track and it’s the type of thing most New Zealanders will only do once in their life.’

Simon says the Air New Zealand Auckland-Hobart direct flights are a great boost. ‘Our concern for Tasmania was always the connection but these flights work in perfectly with our two Cosmos and one Globus tour.’

Simon says that in recent months the company has had some success with the domestic market on New Zealand tours. Ironically, once the bubble was announced there was an increase in NZ domestic bookings.

‘But that is limited in the grand scheme of things. We can now get more clients on our products and straight away we have seen both inbound (Australians booking New Zealand tours) and outbound success.’

He says overall, things are looking much more positive than they were a fortnight ago. ‘There is more clarity around vaccinations and we have the bubble. It is important for confidence and we are seeing more and more of that – there are finally some good stories mixed in with the bad.’