Wellington, Friday, 19 September 2025.
Last Friday New Zealand issued a winter travel advisory warning of heightened security, crime and civil‑unrest risks across key source markets, while the EU begins rollout of the biometric Entry/Exit System (EES) on 12 October 2025. For retail-facing park, tour and hotel operators that depend on international groups, the combined developments mean greater border friction, delayed arrivals and reduced traveller confidence during peak winter bookings. Immediate commercial priorities include upgrading pre‑arrival document checks, tightening contingency capacity plans, retraining front‑line teams on biometric and ETA/ESTA requirements, and building tighter coordination with tour operators and airlines to manage hold‑backs at Schengen entry points. Operators should stress-test pricing and staffing scenarios that incorporate shorter booking windows, higher no‑show risk and potential liability exposure for organised events. The most intriguing risk: a single entry delay under EES can cascade into multi‑operator group failures—making investment in digital pre‑clearance and clearer guest communications a mitigation.