[ad_1]
It’s been a while, but international travel to Australia is back on the cards for fully vaccinated tourists from February 21.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison made the long-awaited announcement yesterday, almost two years after Australia effectively closed its borders at the start of the pandemic.
Visitors from New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Japan have been exempt from the restrictions for a few months, but soon the doors will open to all visa holders, which has been warmly welcomed by tour operators in trouble.
There are, however, a few caveats. All arrivals will be required to have a negative COVID test before landing in Australia, and tourists may not be able to freely enter all Australian states and territories without quarantine.
As Australia takes another step towards normalcy, where are the first international tourists likely to come from and how easy will it be for them to return home after their visit?
Nearly a third of tourists came from China or New Zealand
The latest data provided by the Australian government before the pandemic, compiled by Tourism Research Australia, showed that 8,601,331 international visitors arrived in Australia between July 2018 and June 2019.
Let’s take a closer look at the five countries that welcomed the most visitors to Australia during this period.
Of those millions of tourists, most arrived from China, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan – with one in seven international tourists landing from China.
International tourists spent $44.5 billion in Australia between July 2018 and June 2019, with Chinese tourists being the biggest spenders.
In the financial year 2018-2019, Chinese tourists spent a total of nearly $12 billion while visiting Australia. Total spending by American travelers was just under $4 billion, and the same amount was spent by tourists from the UK.
Together, these three countries contributed 43% of the total amount spent by international tourists in Australia from July 2018 to June 2019, or just over $19 billion.
)
What does COVID look like in these countries?
Each country is in a slightly different position when it comes to daily cases, deaths and vaccination rates.
China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded fewer than 250 daily cases in the country and has yet to record any COVID-related deaths this year. Over 86% of the Chinese population is fully immunized.
Across Tasman, New Zealand has seen daily cases hover between 100 and 200 over the past week and has recorded no COVID deaths so far this year. Over 93% of New Zealanders aged 12 and over are fully immunized.
In the United States, only 64% of the population has received two doses of a COVID vaccine, and the country is still seeing six-digit cases, reaching more than one million new cases on January 24.
But the US Centers for Disease Control’s seven-day moving average shows the curve narrowing, while daily deaths hover between a few hundred and a few thousand.
After significantly easing COVID restrictions last month, the UK is registering tens of thousands of COVID cases every day and is currently recording between 200 and 300 deaths a day. The UK Department of Health says 84.5% of people aged 12 and over are fully immunized.
Japan is also seeing tens of thousands of new COVID cases and between 20 and 120 deaths every day; just under 80% of Japan’s population is fully vaccinated against COVID.
Will it be as easy for them to return home?
Although quarantine is no longer required for travelers arriving in Australia, the same is not necessarily the case for each of these countries.
Chinese nationals returning home after spending time in Australia will be required to complete 14 days of quarantine at a designated hotel or facility and will also need to meet the country’s testing requirements during this time.
Those returning to Japan must take a PCR test within 72 hours of their scheduled departure time from Australia, complete an individual written undertaking to enter Japan from Australia, and have proof of their COVID vaccination.
Once home, Japanese tourists will be required to self-quarantine for seven days, including at least three in a designated quarantine facility before self-isolating at home.
From the end of February, fully vaccinated New Zealanders can travel from Australia without having to enter isolation or managed quarantine – but they will have to self-isolate at home for 10 days.
There are no quarantine requirements for those returning home to the US or UK.
The United States requires its citizens to present a negative COVID test taken no later than one day before travel, or a document from a licensed health care provider that they have recovered within 90 days before the trip.
In the UK, fully vaccinated travelers returning from abroad will no longer have to take a COVID test before or after arrival from February 11.
Loading the form…
|
Sources 2/ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-08/australias-first-international-tourists-when-borders-open/100811652 The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
[ad_2]