To lessen the blow from the latest suspension of the transtasman bubble, businesses have pulled together a deal offering travellers free $50 fuel vouchers.
The deal has been created by the Back to the Future group of West Coast businesses to help stimulate demand to the hard-hit South Westland region post Covid-19.
It offers a free $50 fuel voucher for the first 50 bookings made online for their $299 Back to the Future 2 Deal, taking in Franz Josef and Hokitika.
The package includes a flight over the Franz Josef Glacier with Heliservices NZ, one night's accommodation at the Rainforest Retreat, in Franz Josef, entry to the West Coast Wildlife Centre a night's stay at The Beachfront Hotel in Hokitika and a pass to the West Coast Treetop Walk and Cafe in Hokitika.
He said the package, formed after the Covid outbreak, had gone exceptionally well but they needed to ‘‘sweeten the deal’’ when the travel bubble between New Zealand and Australia burst.
‘‘Petrol is expensive at the moment.
‘‘We have come up with an idea to help bring New Zealanders down and enjoy an incredible value for money package in the glacier region,’’ Mr Benton said.
South Westland was one of the areas in New Zealand hit hardest by Covid-19, and data from consumer spending specialists MarketView showed visitor spending in Franz Josef and Fox Glacier was down 48% on pre-pandemic levels.
