Fletcher Melvin: Cook Islands Chamber of Commerce 'desperate' for travel bubble to open

The delays on a Cook Islands travel bubble is causing a headache for the country.Quarantine-free travel between our two countries is hoped to be set up by the end of March next year.Before the pandemic more than 160-thousand people visited the island each year - most of them Kiwis.The head of the Cook Islands Chamber of Commerce and Private Sector says the wait is frustrating.Fletcher Melvin told The Weekend Collective they're desperate for tourism to return."The disappointing part of this is we still don't have a firm date and from what we can see there's no real reason around it," noting that the country remains Covid free.Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says we're getting ready to open up - but there're still some logistics and outbreak planning matters to be ticked off.He says that includes arrangements with airlines and airports."One of the issues we're working through with the airlines now is making sure that any air crews working in safe travel zones are segregated from air crews working in the hot zones if you like."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.