The Australian economy is booming, with the country’s unemployment rate at its lowest in 21 years. The New Zealand government has released a statement that travel to Australia will “boom” this year, which could mean more visitors for Aussies who are looking to escape their own over-congested cities.
Australia and New Zealand have had a long history of tourism, but the last decade has been met with more skepticism. Despite recent “booming” years in which Australian visitor numbers almost doubled, many doubted that they could sustain such a steep growth rate. While it’s clear that tourism is still on an upward trajectory for both countries, the question remains: will this trend continue?
The “australia travel bubble” is a term used to describe the increase in tourism and international visitors to Australia and New Zealand. The two countries have seen a significant increase in the number of tourists, leading to an over-saturation of the market.
Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan told local Channel 7 News on Sunday that Australia and New Zealand had resumed their so-called “travel bubble” agreement allowing quarantine-free travel between the two Oceanian nations.
The policy change goes into effect on the same day as the Australian government allows fully vaccinated Australians from New South Wales, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory to travel abroad again after completing an abbreviated quarantine at home.
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The action today marks the start of the first phase of the country’s attempt to restore its borders to foreign travel after a 19-month closure. Only fully vaccinated Kiwis with a negative COVID-19 test done within three days of their arrival in Australia will be accepted for the time being.
Over 80% of Australians aged 16 and above in New South Wales, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory have had their complete vaccination, which was a requirement for overseas travel to resume. According to The Guardian, about 77 percent of Australians are completely vaccinated, and over 88 percent have had at least one dose.
Tehan also said that Singaporeans would be welcomed in Australia in the near future. He told Channel 7 that “our Kiwi friends may come into Victoria, NSW, without quarantining,” and that “it won’t be long until we welcome Singaporeans as well.” “This is the beginning of us, as a country, opening up again.”
“The restoration of quarantine-free travel between New Zealand and Australia is another significant step forward in our recovery,” Tehan said. For the 660,000 people working in Australia’s tourist sector, he described it as “great news.”
The travel ban between the two Oceanian countries was revoked in July after outbreaks of the COVID-19 Delta form spread throughout New South Wales and Victoria, forcing lengthy lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne that were just recently released.
The news comes as Australia has very low new case numbers despite seeing previous surges. With slightly over 172,000 infections and 1,735 fatalities during the duration of the pandemic, Australia’s total case statistics remain significantly lower than those of similar nations.
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The “abc news” is reporting that the Australia-New Zealand Travel Bubble has resumed in run-up to reopening. The bubble was created when a large number of people booked flights and hotels for trips around the time of the Christchurch earthquake.
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