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On September 22nd, Australian Tourism Minister Dan Tehan outlined a new plan for the country's reopening. He stated that the Australian government is preparing to implement this policy, with one of the top priorities being achieving a national vaccination rate exceeding 80%.
"I truly sympathize with those who have lost the opportunity to travel overseas this year," he said in an online chat hosted by the National Press Club of Australia. "That's why people should get vaccinated and we will continue to prepare for the reopening of international borders, at the latest by Christmas."
The rollout of nationwide vaccination is extremely important, and the Australian Tourism Council has created a special advertising campaign called "Our Best Travel Photo" to encourage Australians to get vaccinated.
"We need to rediscover our original lives – the time when we could meet friends and family; return to work; send our children back to school; travel within the country and around the world again, and open our doors to the world with all that Australia has to offer," Phillipa Harrison, CEO of Tourism Australia, shared at the campaign launch press conference.
As of September 22nd, approximately 38% of Australians had received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. - Photo: Reuters
International visitors to Australia will need to demonstrate that they have received both doses of the vaccine before entry. In addition, Australia plans to test a "vaccine pass" with several countries, including Japan and the United States.
Earlier, Qantas, Australia's national airline, also announced that it would gradually resume international flights from October.
Australia closed its borders to non-residents in March 2020 and implemented mandatory quarantine to strictly limit the number of people entering Australia each week, while the government also put in place regulations to prevent citizens from leaving the country.
