Riceviamo il 7° aggiornamento dal nostro corrispondente

EARTHQUAKE IN CHRISTCHURCH – 22 FEBRUARY 2011- Update #7 as at 1430hrs Tuesday 01 March 2011

It has now been a week since Christchurch’s devastating earthquake, rescue and recovery efforts continue in the CBD (Central Business District). The cordons are still in place and are expected to remain so for the immediate future while necessary inspections and clean-up takes place.

We’ve been in regular contact with the properties we use for Christchurch (those that are located in the CBD are for the most part inaccessible for the next 3-4 weeks and then subject to safety inspections). Hotels/Motels that are located to the west of the city and near the airport, appear to be unaffected by the quake and are operational, albeit with reduced availability due to occupancy by rescue and Civil Defence teams.

With this in mind, we are continuing with redirecting any clientele due to stay in Christchurch, up until the 15th of April. This date remains changeable subject to progress made to bring hotels back on-line for accommodation purposes. We will be in contact with you regarding any files that this applies to (if we have not already done so).

Our reasoning for redirecting clients is as follows:

  • Christchurch city is going to take some time to rebuild.
  • In order for hotels to open their doors infrastructure must be in place. Power, water, sewerage, transport etc.  Retail is going to take more time.
  • Christchurch hotels will be operational again within the next couple of months.  However there will be some that won’t be open until much later this year

The difficulty at present is that “Search and rescue” is still underway in the city and the cordon is still operating so no assessment is able to begin as yet.

Christchurch is a critical centre for itinerary planning.  It offers great options for internal and external flights and is the gateway for other destinations such as Blenheim, Kaikoura, Mt Cook and the West Coast.  We will be using team is to use Christchurch as an in/out location.  Where possible we will have clients arrive late and leave early and try an utilize airport accommodation. 

Please remember that Christchurch is the only area affected by the physical effects of the earthquake and that the rest of New Zealand remains very much open for business and keen to see your clients.

We urge you to check the Tourism New Zealand website which carries updates for clients:

http://www.tourismnewzealand.com/news-and-features/latest-news/2011/02/christchurch-earthquake-latest-update/

We will send you further updates, only if there is more news or changes to access to the cordon area (which currently takes in the area within the square created by Bealey Ave, Fitzgerald Ave, Deans Ave and Moorhouse Avenue.)

We thank you for your patience and understanding, and please don’t hesitate to contact us should you have any questions.