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Australia’s international border to reopen on February 21
February 8th 2022
Australia's international border will reopen to tourists, business travellers and other visa holders from February 21, the government has announced, adding a proviso that all arrivals into Australia must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Read More » "If you are double vaccinated, we look forward to welcoming you back to Australia and I know the tourism industry will be looking forward to that," Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, told reporters in Canberra. Inbound travellers to Australia who are unvaccinated but hold a visa to travel to Australia must hold a valid travel exemption and be subject to quarantine rules. Australia started reopening its international border last year. It entered into country specific arrangements with Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea, as well as allowing specific groups such as international students, backpackers and economic migrants to enter the country. International Air Transport Association (IATA) regional vice president Asia-Pacific, Philip Goh, said the announcement was "greatly welcomed" by the airline community and a big step forward. "The Asia-Pacific has been very cautious in its approach to border restrictions so far but in recent weeks, we have seen growing momentum for relaxation of travel restrictions – in the Philippines, Thailand, and to some extent New Zealand," Goh said. "We urge other governments in the Asia-Pacific to look at similarly easing their border restrictions to enable aviation businesses to accelerate their much needed recovery and bring maximum benefits to their economies."
