Australian Tourism Minister: Australian International Border may Not Open until Late 2022
People around the world have been waiting for the re-opening of the Australian International border since months ago. The Australian International border has been closed since March 2020, and there is still no exact date when the Government will reopen it. The current situation left people worldwide who wish to visit or work in Australia hanging in the balance.
In an interview with Sky News last Friday, the Tourism Minister, Dan Tehan, stated a new possibility for opening Australian International Border.
What is the new possibility?
Update from Australian Tourism Minister on 7 May 2021
In an interview with Sky News on 7 May 2021, Dan Tehan, the Tourism Minister of Australia, stated that Australian International Border might be opened in the middle to the second half of 2022. Mr Tehan also emphasised that the opening of the Australian International Border will depend on how the Australian Government and other countries deal with the pandemic. Moreover, after looking at the third waves of the pandemic in India, Mr Tehan said that the Australian Government needs to watch and monitor the situation before deciding the exact date for the Australian International Border to re-open.
Looking at the situation, Mr Tehan also said that things might change, so it is difficult to give the exact date.
Additionally, Mr Tehan also said he hoped for the best when it came to building travel bubbles with other low-risk countries.
Previous Plan to Open Australian International Border
Previously, on 9 February 2021, Mr Tehan stated that the Australian Government planned to open the International Border by next year as tourism is the fourth largest exporting industry which created 666,000 jobs, about 5% of the workforce.
Then, in March 2021, the Australian Government extended the travel ban for three more months due to the emergence of new variants of Covid-19 strains. However, the Government kept their plan to open the international border by next year.
Read more: Australian Travel Ban Extended For 3 More Months
Australian Travel Bubble and Qantas Airline plan to the Desperation of Tourism Industry
1. Australian Travel Bubbles
The Australian Government has done several things to maintain its citizens’ safety and try to open its international border safely with a Travel Bubble program. One of the travel bubbles that has already commenced is a travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand.
After the Australia-New Zealand travel bubble, the Australian Government also prioritises low-risk countries in the Asian-Pacific area for the subsequent travel bubbles. Those countries are Singapore, Fiji, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and South Korea.
2. Qantas Airline sticking to its first plan
On the other hand, Qantas airline is still sticking to its first target to resume flights on almost all its overseas routes on 31 October 2021. However, they would be ready if they need to push back the date.
3. The Desperation of Australian Tourism Industry
It’s not only international travellers who are frustrated, the tourism industry in Australia also faces desperation over the uncertainty of when Australian International Border will reopen. The head of Australia’s Tourism and Transport Forum appeared on TV and claimed the situation as the “worst year in living memory for the tourism industry”.
CEO Margy Osmond also showed her frustration over too much speculation surrounding the re-opening of Australian International Border. The tourism industry is demanding nothing, but a clear calendar of when the international border will be opened based on Australia’s vaccination program.
Read more: Australia Plans to Open Up New Travel Bubbles in Asia by Winter
What does the announcement mean for you?
Looking at the flow of the Australian Government’s plan in opening the Australian International Border, we can see the pandemic situation affects the Government’s plan the most. If the pandemic situation could get better soon, the Australian Government can open its international border more shortly. So, let’s hope for the best that the countries could handle the pandemic situation well.
Additionally, there’s still hope for those of you who wish to travel to Australia as the Australian Government is planning to open some travel bubbles with Asian-Pacific nations. The travel bubbles can be a good beginning for re-opening the Australian International Border.
So, please don’t lose your hope, and let’s work harder to keep ourselves safe and healthy while preparing for your trip to Australia.
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