The tourism organisations of Christchurch are working together to ensure current and potential visitors to the city are safe and looked after, as the region recovers from Saturday's earthquake and aftershocks.
 
On Tuesday morning, Christchurch and Canterbury Tourism reported that 98 per cent of its members were open for business.

Tourism New Zealand stressed that no other areas of New Zealand are affected by the earthquake. 

Christchurch International Airport, along with car hire and campervan companies, are up and running. Areas around central Christchurch including Hamner Springs, Akaroa, Kaikoura and the local ski fields are unaffected, as is much of the Canterbury region.

"Christchurch city is recovering well after the earthquake.  For safety reasons, Civil Defence still has a cordon in place around a few blocks of the central city but the remainder of the city is accessible. The cordon is being reviewed daily," Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler said.

"Virtually all tourism operators in the Christchurch region are open, but visitors are advised to contact their travel agents or accommodation providers before arriving in the City."

For those transiting through Christchurch to other regions, holidays will be unaffected, the board advised.

Buildings safe, but caution urged

Tourism NZ declared that 550 buildings in the city have now been checked and only five per cent have been marked as unsafe.

The small area of the central city cordon remains in place but that is being reviewed regularly and has been reduced to just a small number of streets.

Nightime curfews have been lifted, but restrictions on movement around the city remain in place to ensure safety in the central city area.

People in the area are still being advised to boil drinking water for three minutes.

The services of Tourism Holdings Limited (THL), which include Maui, Britz, Backpacker and Explore More, are now working again.

All holiday parks in Christchurch are operating as usual. Only one motel and one hotel have been closed but guests have been relocated elsewhere. Visitors are being advised to double check with their travel agents or accommodation providers directly before arriving.

Hotel Grand Chancellor Christchurch announced that it still remains open for business and is operating normally given the situation.  Whilst the hotel is structurally sound and has been cleared safe for use, the hotel's facilities including bedrooms have suffered some superficial and cosmetic damage.  The hotel's restaurant and bar remain open but are operating on a limited service.

Transport back on track

The TranzAlpine train service will running again on Tuesday 7 September, the tourism board announced. The TranzCoastal will not be running on Tuesday and will be replaced by a bus service.  

The city's coaches are operating as per usual, with InterCity, Newmans, Greatsights, Magic Travellers, Naked Bus all reporting a return to scheduled services. The Metro bus network also resumed services on Tuesday.

All rail services in the Christchurch area were expected to be restored Tuesday 7 September. The Main South Line is already open, as is the Midland Line west of Otira. The line between Otira and Christchurch and the Main North Line were expected to open late Tuesday afternoon.

Tranz Coastal passenger services are expected to resume between Christchurch and Picton on Wednesday 8 September again with speed restrictions within the earthquake zone.

CCT has established a hotline for enquiries on 0800 423 783. Visitors outside New Zealand should call +64 3 379 9629 or +64 3 353 5990. The i-SITE Visitor Centre in Cathedral Square is closed until at least Wednesday 8 September.

Operators and travellers are advised to look at www.newzealand.com and www.christchurchnz.com for daily updated information.