Australia Is Officially Reopening to International Tourists: Here’s What We Know!

Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has announced that Australia will finally reopen to international tourists on 21 Feb 2022. Australia had already begun to loosen restrictions in December 2021 when it opened its borders to those with student and working visas. 

Now that it’s welcoming foreign tourists back, Australia marks the end of one of the world’s strictest border lockdowns. “If you’re double vaccinated, we look forward to welcoming you back to Australia,” said Morisson. 

Also read: Travel Across Australia With These Epic Train Rides!

Image credit: Jay Wennington

On the other hand, unvaccinated travellers who have a medical reason for not being inoculated with a COVID-19 vaccine will still need to apply for a travel exemption and quarantine upon arrival. 

However, Western Australia remains closed to non-residents, including Australians from other states, lest they have permission to enter. Originally, Western Australia was set to open to non-residents and international tourists this month too, but it postponed the plan indefinitely due to the Omicron variant. 

Also read: 22 Souvenirs to Buy from Australia for Your Loved Ones Back Home

As of writing, Australia’s Omicron surge has taken a dive and daily cases are down to around 25,000. The country also has 79% of its population fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Stay tuned for more updates about travelling to Australia!

Featured image credit: Dan Freeman | Unsplash