Wellington, March 16 ( /Xinhua) The New Zealand government is bringing forward the date for opening the border to tourists in time for the Australian school holidays, in a move that will help accelerate the economic recovery from Covid-19, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Wednesday. From 11:59 p.m. local time on April 12, Australians will be able to travel to New Zealand isolation-free, and then two and a half weeks later from 11:59 p.m. local time May 1, vaccinated travelers from visa-waiver countries such as Britain, the ted States, Japan, Germany, South Korea and Singapore, and those with valid visitor visas, will be able to arrive, Ardern told a press conference. Reopening in time for the upcoming Australian school holidays will help spur New Zealand’s economic recovery in the short term and is good news for the winter ski season, said the prime minister. Trans-Tasman travelers have historically made up 40 percent of New Zealand’s international arrivals, with around 1.5 million Australians visiting each year, statistics show. /XINHUA ACL0804