WELLINGTON, July 11 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand and Australian tourism ministers are hoping for a visitor boom by allowing international visitors attending the Cricket World Cup next year to need just one visa for both countries.
Ministers of both countries met in Melbourne Friday to discuss how the two host countries could maximize the tourism opportunities stemming from the tournament.
Fourteen cities across Australia and New Zealand will host 49 ICC Cricket World Cup matches over February and March, with the first semi-final to be played at Auckland's Eden Park and the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 29.
Seven New Zealand cities would host World Cup games, and the government would work with Australia to capitalize on the tourism and other economic benefits of staging the event, New Zealand Associate Tourism Minister Todd McClay said in a statement from his office.
"The integrated visa process will make it easier for fans to follow their teams and catch all the action as well experience the many tourist offerings in both countries," said McClay.
Australian Federal Tourism Minister Andrew Robb said the streamlined visa arrangements would allow tourists to freely move between Australia and New Zealand for the World Cup.
"This is a major international sporting event which will bring major benefits for our tourism and hospitality sectors," Robb said in the statement.
The agreement for a single visa under Australian rules was first announced by the two prime ministers in February in what was seen as a possible precursor to a permanent single visa agreement.
However, a joint report from the two countries' productivity commissions in May concluded that a "trans-Tasman tourist visa" for citizens from elsewhere "would present a number of challenges, given significant visa systems and security differences."
Further work would be required to assess the visa waiver arrangements in both countries and whether the benefits of implementing a trans-Tasman visa would outweigh the costs, it said.
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