Today is the day the drawbridge comes down on 'Fortress Australia' after 100 weeks of self-imposed isolation.
For the first time since March 2020 vaccinated non-residents and international travellers can enter the country quarantine-free, without a travel exemption. There were approximately 1.2 million visa holders who until today were locked out of the country, according to PM Scott Morrison.
"We are going from COVID cautious to COVID confident when it comes to travel" said the prime minister.
A modest 56 flights were scheduled to arrive in Australia's international airports today, however that number is predicted to pick up.
From today Australia is open for quarantine-free travel, to all states apart from Western Australia. Photo / Dan Freeman, Unsplash
Skyscanner reported a 200 per cent increase in bookings following the Australian border announcement. Tourists from the UK, Germany, India and Ireland were leading the charge with March being a peak period for searches.
Driving demand and telling tourists that Australia was open for business was a new ad campaign. The national tourism board for Oz is known for quirky 'slogans' and big budget celebrity endorsements, however Tourism Australia said it would be keeping it simple for the restart.
'Go Australia' is a more modest advert focussing on natural landscapes to woo long-haul travellers.
"This new campaign is just the first step in a long-term strategy to restart tourism to Australia," said Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan. There would be further investment in local tourism campaigns for the second half of the year, he said.
The tourism body has spent money on blockbuster advertising placement rather than on the salaries of those appearing in the TV spots.
Opening this week in Piccadilly Circus and New York City's Times Square and a wall of the Australian Embassy in Paris, the total cost of the campaign is $42 million.
Matesong: Tourism Australia is spending $42 on advertising to international travellers. Photo / David Clode, Unsplash
"I think it's very important to make sure their money is being spent in the right place," David Flynn from Executive Traveller told 9 News.
"Because rather than spending up big on celebrities and gimmicks they want to spend on exposure and eyeballs — reaching those people who they want to bring to Australia." Prior to the Pandemic the tourism body copped flack for spending $15 million on a TV spot featuring Kylie Monogue alongside sport stars. $1 million of this was reportedly paid to the Australian pop star.
The musical advert dubbed 'Matesong' was pulled just weeks after airing due to the wildfire season.
Australia opens, New Zealand waits
The Australian announcement of quarantine-free travel was music to the ears of travellers and tourism operators, but less so on this side of the Tasman.
For Kiwi tourism operators it's "Go Australia, Slow Aotearoa".
At the beginning of the month Destination Queenstown's outgoing chief executive Paul Abbot said that Australia's opening up put New Zealand at a disadvantage.
"The Australian announcement puts up behind the 8 ball for both workers and visitors," he said, adding it would "reinforce the perception that New Zealand is no longer an easy place to visit."
New Zealand's own plans to reopen would see international tourists return as soon as July, but currently those entering the country would need self-isolate for 7 days. Having to spend a week of your holiday in isolation is unlikely to appeal to tourists. Particularly with Australia, and other destinations already opening up.
Fully vaccinated visa holders can enter all states and territories quarantine-free from 21 February 2022, except for Western Australia.
Leisure travellers must be fully vaccinated and present a negative test result from prior to travelling and a Travel Declaration at least 72 hours before travel.
PCR results must be from 72 hours prior to departure, and RAT tests must be completed 24 hours prior to departure.
New Zealand's borders will reopen to New Zealand citizens and residents and other eligible travellers under current border settings from Australia at 11:59pm on 27 February 2022
