Australia unlikely to welcome tourists until middle of 2022
Australia s borders are likely to remain closed despite being on the UK s green list for travel
Sydney Opera House and Sydney skyline (Image: Getty Images)
Get our daily Echo newsletter for the biggest stories and breaking newsInvalid EmailSomething went wrong, please try again later.
Subscribe for free
When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Your information will be used in accordance with ourPrivacy Notice.
Thank you for subscribingWe have more newslettersShow meSee ourprivacy notice
Australia is set to keep its international border closed to tourists until the middle of 2022 at least.
2021-04-19 10:36:30 GMT2021-04-19 18:36:30(Beijing Time) Xinhua English
WELLINGTON/SYDNEY, April 19 (Xinhua) Christchurch resident Priscilla came to the airport an hour earlier to meet and greet her dear daughter Julia. It s obviously fine talking on the computer, but there will be something wonderful about seeing her for real, said Priscilla while waiting for Julia to arrive from Sydney.
The opening of the trans-Tasman bubble or quarantine-free travel between New Zealand and Australia on Monday allowed the reunion of many families separated by the Tasman Sea and the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.
Priscilla, who has not seen her daughter since Christmas 2019, was very excited. She will come to the airport again on Tuesday to meet her 18-month-old grandchild she has never met, coming from Australia.
Australia and New Zealand’s ‘World-Leading’ Pandemic Response Brings Start of Two-Way Travel Bubble
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has attributed the establishment of a quarantine-free two-way travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand to each country’s success in managing the CCP virus pandemic.
“This latest major step in the resumption of international travel has only been possible due to the internationally recognised, world-leading responses to the COVID-19 pandemic by Australia and New Zealand,” Morrison said in a statement on April 6.
Morrison told reporters that both countries had not suffered the same types of virus impacts seen in other parts of the world.
Australia welcomes two-way Trans-Tasman travel
Australia s flight-path to recovery is well underway with the Australian Government welcoming the New Zealand Government s announcement that it will join the Safe Travel Zone between Australia and New Zealand.
This announcement will enable quarantine-free travel between Australia and New Zealand on both sides of the Tasman helping to reunite families and friends and giving tourism operators a significant boost.
It follows Australia s opening of a one-way Safe Travel Zone from New Zealand to Australia six months ago, with more than 34,000 arrivals into Australia from New Zealand during that period.
This latest major step in the resumption of international travel has only been possible due to the internationally recognised, world-leading responses to the COVID-19 pandemic by Australia and New Zealand.
Transtasman bubble: Travel Agents Association of NZ says demand is huge nzherald.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nzherald.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.