Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, on Monday, said that Australia would open its borders for tourists from February 21. The country would be letting in tourists after two years since it shut them at the beginning of the pandemic to stem the spread of coronavirus cases.
Australia has been gradually reopening its borders after closing them in March 2020, allowing only its citizens and residents, skilled migrants, international students, and some seasonal workers in. Morrison stated in January that he believed international borders will be fully reopened by Easter.
"If you're double vaccinated, we look forward to welcoming you back to Australia," Morrison told AFP. Since the borders slammed shut in March 2020, Australians have been barred from leaving the country too.
Border restrictions and lockdowns imposed by Covid have has negatively impacted Australia's hospitality industry. According to Tourism Australia, the tourism industry produced over $84.9 billion in annual income before the pandemic. The first year of the Covid-19 epidemic, 2020-2021, saw a 41 per cent drop in annual income. The emergence of the Delta variant caused Australia and New Zealand to suspend the trans-Tasman travel bubble. The emergence of the different variants of the coronavirus also impacted domestic tourism negative as people were sceptical of booking travel in advance and several
