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'Welcome back world!': Australia fully reopens borders after two years
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ustralia on Monday fully reopened its international borders to travelers vaccinated against the coronavirus after nearly two years of pandemic-related closings as tourists returned and hundreds of people were reunited with family and friends.
More than 50 international flights will reach the country through the day, including 27 touching down in Sydney, its largest city, as tourism and the hospitality sector look to rebuild after getting hammered by COVID-19 restrictions.
"It is a very exciting day, one that I have been looking forward to for a long time, from the day that I first shut that border right at the start of the pandemic," Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in the island state of Tasmania, which relies heavily on tourism.
After being away from loved ones for months there were many emotional reunions, including for Cindy Moss who traveled from the US state of Kentucky to see her daughter.
"I just haven't seen her in so long and it was such a big thing to be able to get over here. So, I'm so excited," she said after hugging her daughter, her voice cracking with emotion.
Tourism is one of Australia's biggest industries, worth more than A$60 billion (US$43 billion) and employing about 5 percent of the country's workforce. But the sector was crippled after the country shut its borders in March 2020.
"It's a party out here"
Passengers flying to Sydney were greeted from the air with "Welcome Back World!" painted on a sign near the runways while people in kangaroo costumes welcomed travelers and a DJ played music from a van festooned with a banner saying "You were worth the wait".
"It is a party out here, music playing, smiles on people's faces, they will be dancing soon, I'm sure," Tourism Minister Dan Tehan told broadcaster ABC from Sydney airport as he gave travelers gift jars of Vegemite, an iconic Australian food spread and stuffed koala toys.
Tehan said he was hopeful for a "very strong" rebound in the tourism market, with Qantas QAN.AX looking to fly more than 14,000 passengers into Australia this week. Virgin Australia said it was seeing positive trends in domestic bookings and continued to assess demand for international flights.
All trains in Sydney, meanwhile, were canceled on Monday after pay disputes between the union and the state government, taking some shine off the reopening.
Once a champion of COVID-suppression strategy, Australia shifted away from its fortress-style controls and relentless lockdowns since late last year and began living with the virus after reaching higher vaccination levels.
As borders fully reopen, Australia's outbreak of the Omicron coronavirus variant appears to have passed its peak with hospital admissions steadily falling over the past three weeks. The bulk of Australia's pandemic total of about 2.7 million confirmed cases has been detected since the emergence of Omicron in late November.
Just over 17,000 new cases and 17 deaths were registered by midday on Monday with the Northern Territory due to report later.
Most of the country's 2.7 million coronavirus infections have occurred since the Omicron variant emerged in late November 2021. But with one of the world's highest vaccination rates — more than 94 percent of people aged 16 and over are double-dosed — there have been just under 5,000 deaths, a fraction of the rates seen in many other developed countries.
Whether travelers will flock back to the island continent remains to be seen. The government hopes to boost a pre-pandemic growth sector — real tourism gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 3.4 percent in 2018-2019, compared with overall GDP growth of 1.9 percent.
International and domestic tourism losses since the start of the pandemic totaled A$101.7 billion ($72 billion), according to government body Tourism Research Australia (TRA). International travel spending in Australia plunged from A$44.6 billion in the 2018-19 financial year to A$1.3 billion in 2020-21, TRA said.
Australia has been gradually reopening since November, first allowing Australians to travel in and out, then admitting international students and some workers. From Monday, leisure travelers and more business travelers may enter.
