Queensland is gearing up to receive international visitors, who will
be allowed into the state without needing to quarantine once they are
fully vaccinated.
The move is expected to see the first arrivals from Singapore, New
Zealand, Japan and South Korea, once vaccinated travel opens up.
“It’s another step forward for Queensland tourism,” said Leanne
Coddington, CEO of Tourism and Events Queensland. “We’re working market
by market at the moment and will target the leisure and VFR markets once
travel becomes two ways between key destinations.”
Queensland may have to wait, however, for the floodgates to open.
Many countries are still nervous about opening their borders. This week
New Zealand tightened its rules to stop a surge in cases of the Omicron
virus.
NZ prime minister Ardern even cancelled her own wedding in response to the new restrictions, which capped numbers on gatherings.
In Western Australia – where critics of the state’s lockdown refer to
it as the ‘hermit kingdom’, the premier Mark McGowan has further
delayed the opening of the Western Australian borders to the rest of the
country.
The state had earlier announced a 6 February reopening date and the
delay disappointed thousands who were hoping to travel to Perth for
holidays, family reunions and other events.
The new border entry rules in Western Australia require approved
interstate travellers to be triple dosed vaccinated, quarantine for 14
days, and take tests prior to departure and during quarantine.
The latest WA government move has forced both Qantas and Virgin Australia, to cut back on domestic services to Perth.
Qantas now expects domestic capacity for the third quarter to
hovering around 70% of pre-COVID levels, down from the 102% that had
been forecast.