Australia reopened its borders to tourists and fully vaccinated visa holders on Monday, February 21. The country welcomes tourists after nearly two years of restrictions.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters, “This is an exciting day that I have been looking forward to for a long time.”
“Thanks to the restrictions, Australia has kept one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates in the world, one of the strongest economies to come through this pandemic, and one of the highest vaccination rates. We are established as a country that can really take advantage of the new economic opportunities.” Morrison said.
On February 7, the Australian leader announced that the borders would be reopened to all fully vaccinated visa holders, tourists, business travelers, and other visitors from February 21.
Those visa holders who are not fully vaccinated will need to apply for an exception request and will be subject to quarantine requirements.
The country’s tourism industry, which generated more than USD 60 billion in the 2018-2019 period, was severely affected by the restrictions and border closures due to COVID-19.
National and international companies that work bringing tourists to Australia are not currently working. The pandemic severely impacted tourism around the world. There is a lot of work to do to rebuild all the tourism industry and reactivate the Australian economy,” Morrison said.
“Tourism Australia has launched a $40 million campaign to start that work in all of our key markets… and we’ll see how it plays out over time,” the prime minister said.
Western Australia is the only exception, as this region will lift restrictions on March 3.
