Up to 1.5 million Aussie travellers may be about to change their holiday plans from Indonesia to New Zealand according to global comparison site Finder.
Conversations between the New Zealand and Australian governments about creating a "trans-Tasman bubble" are on-going, but travel between the two countries could be possible within a few months.
The research found that Australians who usually travel to holiday hotspots like Indonesia might instead divert to New Zealand.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data revealed that over 1.5 million Aussies travelled to Indonesia in 2019.
If just half this group visited New Zealand instead, this could pump $2 billion into the New Zealand economy.
"The trans-Tasman bubble may even open up in time for snow season, and if that’s the case, we could see more Aussies headed to the slopes for a ski trip," Finder New Zealand's Kevin McHugh said.
ABS data also shows that New Zealand remains the number one travel destination for Aussies, overtaking Indonesia, the United States and the United Kingdom.
McHugh said it's hard to predict what the cost of trans-Tasman holidays will be as there are so many variables.
"The price of plane tickets could go either way. Airlines might drop prices in a bid to entice Kiwis over the Tasman, or they might jack them up to recoup profits lost during lockdown," he said.
