International tourists will be welcomed to Australia with toy koalas and jars of vegemite as Scott Morrison finally opens the border.
The prime minister said the reopening of Western Australia and the rest of the country heralded a new phase of the Covid pandemic.
‘What we will see is these flights increase, and we will particularly see them increasing imports like here in Melbourne,’ he told reporters at Melbourne airport.
‘Already in Sydney, where we have had the airports and other areas open for much longer, I have no doubt Melbourne will start to receive even more of those flights.’
International tourists will be welcomed to Australia with toy koalas and jars of vegemite as Scott Morrison announces a new phase in the Covid pandemic (pictured, arrivals in Sydney)
Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured) said the reopening of Western Australia and the rest of the country heralded a new phase of the Covid pandemic
Mr Morrison said a $40 million campaign from Tourism Australia launched last week will coincide with the highly-anticipated border reopening.
‘They have been getting ready over the course of the pandemic. I know the tourism industry and the airlines have been getting ready, so all the readiness puts us in a strong position to go forward from tomorrow,’ the prime minister said.
The first Qantas plane is due to land at 6.30am on Monday and will mark the country’s first convoy of international tourists in two years.
Arrivals will be greeted by drag queens and a Surf Life Saving crew and be gifted a goodie bag containing vegemite and stuffed koalas and kangaroos.
Airline staff will be poised to hand the first load of visitors signs, flags and eucalyptus leaves with a DJ to play Australian hits at a party in Sydney airport.
Across Australia, 56 international flights will bring tourists from Canada, the UK, the US, and Japan over 24 hours.
International arrivals will be greeted by drag queens and a Surf Life Saving crew and be gifted a goodie bag containing vegemite and stuffed koalas (pictured, arrivals in Melbourne)
The first Qantas plane is due to land at 6:30am on Monday and will be the country’s first convoy of international tourists in over two years (pictured, arrivals in Brisbane)
Mr Morrison reminded citizens the closure of the international border meant Australia had one of the lowest Covid death rates in the world.
He added that high vaccination rates and effective handling of the virus allowed the country to scrap its hard border and finally open up to tourists.
‘That’s why the wait is over, Australia, because you’ve done the hard yards. You’ve done the work, you’ve pushed through,’ he said.
Tourism Minister Dan Tehan echoed the PM’s sentiments and said the welcoming of international arrivals was a vital step in recovering from the virus.
‘Australia’s health and economic response to the pandemic has been among the best in the world, with one of the highest vaccination rates and low mortality,’ he said.
Mr Tehan said international tourists would come to see the country’s iconic attractions, enjoy the food and drink and learn about Indigenous culture.
‘Millions of people around the world dream of visiting Sydney and our regional areas, it’s great to see the planes return and their dreams coming true,’ Dominic Perrottet (pictured) said
Unvaccinated returning Australians from overseas will need to stay in hotel quarantine for one week (pictured, a passenger is swabbed in Sydney airport)
‘Australia is the best country in the world and we’re excited to be sharing it with the rest of the world again,’ he said.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said a $530 million recovery package would provide a much-needed boost to the tourism sector as the first flights touched down.
He said the arrival of international visitors would advance the state’s recovery.
‘Millions of people around the world dream of visiting Sydney and our regional areas, it’s great to see the planes return and their dreams coming true,’ the premier said.
Australia opened its border in stages after only allowing Australian citizens and permanent residents from March 2020.
Since November, 92,000 visitors, 80,000 international students, 35,000 skilled visa holders and 5,600 working holiday makers have arrived in the country.
On Friday, WA Premier Mark McGowan announced his state would finally reopen to the rest of the world with the hard border to be lifted at 12am on March 3.
Both interstate and international travellers will be required to complete a G2G pass before entering the state, and take a rapid antigen test within 12 hours of arrival.
Only interstate travellers who have had three Covid doses, if eligible, will be able to enter the state without quarantining upon arrival.
Since November, 92,000 visitors, 80,000 international students, 35,000 skilled visa holders and 5,600 working holiday makers have arrived in the country (pictured, Sydney airport)
On Friday, WA Premier Mark McGowan (pictured) announced his state would finally reopen to the rest of the world with the hard border to be lifted at 12am on March 3
Unvaccinated returning Australians from overseas will need to stay in hotel quarantine for one week.
‘We have an outbreak in WA that we can’t stop and its numbers continue to climb,’ Mr McGowan said. ‘Eventually there comes a point where the border is ineffective.’
Tourists must be double-vaccinated to land in Australia and will need to undertake a negative PCR test three days before their flight – or a supervised rapid test 24 hours before departure – to be exempt from any quarantine.
Mr Morrison said the decision was made because Australia is now ravaged with the Omicron variant of Covid, meaning international travellers don’t pose an extra risk.
‘The variant is here in Australia. And for those who are coming in who are double vaccinated, they don’t present any greater risk than those who are already here in Australia.’
