Tag: Australia

Canada And Australia Tourism Suffering As Many Countries Setting All Time Arrival Records

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Last Updated 24 mins ago

The world has finally started to reopen this year, leading to some of the most intense travel demand ever seen. It’s made for a chaotic travel season, but it’s also meant that many countries and destinations are breaking tourism records. Croatia, Greece, Austria, Los Cabos, Cancun, and many other areas are smashing previous arrival records from before the pandemic. However, not all countries see the same tourism growth. Specifically, Canadian and Australian tourist arrivals are still much lower than pre-pandemic levels.

How Bad Is It?

Canada and Australia are both far below their pre-pandemic visitor counts, but Australia is the worst. Travel data shows Australian arrivals down by 65% when compared to pre-pandemic levels. Likewise, Canada is down by 31% compared to pre-pandemic levels when combining international air arrivals and land arrivals from the United States.

What’s The Hold-Up?

Many countries around the world began dropping all Covid requirements as early as March in order to bolster tourism efforts. Canada and Australia were much more cautious in their approach. Both countries have had some of the harshest rules and regulations regarding Covid. The countries only recently started to ease requirements. Australia is now completely reopen but has only been that way for about a month. The country dropped all of its Covid entry requirements in early July, making it one of the slowest tourist destinations to do so.

Canada is worse regarding entry requirements and lagging far behind the most developed countries, as it still has several strict rules in place. Unvaccinated travelers still cannot visit Canada without compelling reasons, such as a death in the family. However, even if unvaccinated travelers can gain entry to Canada, they will be subject to Covid testing and a mandatory 14-day quarantine. As other countries completely strip away all Covid rules, Canada’s approach seems draconian. Especially after the continued loosening of guidelines from the CDC.

Canadian Travel Woes

As if the strict measures weren’t bad enough, Canada has hit several other bumps on the road to tourism recovery. Most notably, Toronto Pearson International Airport is currently the worst airport in the world for flight delays. Between May 26^th and July 19^th, Pearson had 52.5% of their scheduled flights delayed. Travelers are aware of how bad delays and cancellations have been this summer, but Toronto Pearson takes the cake. If Covid entry requirements weren’t holding travelers off from a trip to Canada, the state of its largest airport certainly might be.

Another significant roadblock for travel to Canada is the ArriveCAN app. The app was initially intended to serve as a Covid-19 screening app for travelers to prove their vaccination status before arrival. Non-compliant travelers were subject to delays, a quarantine, or even a $5000 CAD fine. The app has received criticism for privacy concerns and numerous bugs that have made its use frustrating for travelers.

Recently the app glitched out and told vaccinated travelers that they had to quarantine or face a $5000 CAD fine. Many travelers are unaware of the app or may not even have a smartphone. This leads to further delays at border control as short-staffed border control workers have to take time away to walk travelers through the app.

The Bottom Line

Canada and Australia had some of the strictest responses to the Covid-19 pandemic and have been slow to ease Covid-era requirements. When compared to countries like Greece, which doesn’t even require travelers to quarantine after testing positive, Canada and Australia’s responses look especially harsh. Although Australia has reopened completely and Canada is partially open, travelers have not felt comfortable going back to these destinations.

Travelers may have lost trust in these destinations and fear getting caught up in the mix of freshly implemented travel restrictions on holiday. While many tourist destinations around the world continue to outpace previous arrival records, it looks like Canada and Australia will be waiting a long time for their recovery.

This article originally appeared on Travel Off Path. For the latest breaking news that will affect your next trip, please visit: Traveloffpath.com

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August 18, 2022
Australia Removes All Covid Related Entry Requirements

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Last Updated 15 hours ago

Travelers with eyes on visiting Australia rejoice, as the country has just removed all of its strict Covid-19 related entry requirements. The Land Down Under has made headlines throughout the pandemic for its strict, no-nonsense approach to dealing with the spread of the virus. From all but closing its borders to international travelers to implementing city wide lockdowns over a handful of cases, the country took extreme measures with the aim of keeping its people safe – but it looks like, at long last, its days of arbitrary entry restrictions have finally come to an end.

For the first time in years, it means that all visa-holding travelers will now be able to visit Australia and sample all the sunny, culture-filled country has to offer – and it comes just in time for summer. Here’s a look at the changes Australia has made to its Covid-19 related entry restrictions, including which entry requirements are on their way out, which other restrictions travelers should be aware of plus a look at the current Covid-19 situation in the country.

Australia Removes Entry Barriers – What Travelers Should Know

Up until recently, Australia boasted some of the strictest entry requirements in the world. On February 21st – when other countries were beginning to drop their entry requirements completely – Australia only made it possible for fully vaccinated travelers to enter, making entry to the country impossible for millions of unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated travelers. However, as of Wednesday, these strict entry requirements are set to be a thing of the past.

On Sunday Australia’s home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, announced that the country would be removing all of its Covid-19 related entry requirements, making visiting the country not only much easier, but much more of an attractive proposition for millions of potential arrivals. In doing so, Australia has joined the likes of popular destinations such as Portugal, Thailand and several other countries who have also made changes to their entry requirements over the past few days.

That means that from Wednesday July 6th, travelers will no longer need to show proof of vaccination in order to be able to enter the country, allowing all visa-holding or visa exempt travelers to be able to enter for the first time since the pandemic took hold. With the country already having removed the requirement to take a Covid-19 test, it makes entry into the country just as easy as it was prior to the pandemic.

That’s not the only entry requirements change that Australia is set to make. Also from Wednesday, the country will be removing the requirement for inbound travelers to complete the Digital Passenger Declaration, or DPD. The DPD has long since come under fire ever since it was rolled out for being not very user friendly. However, the Minister Clare O’Neill stated that the system will likely make a comeback in the future to replace the paper-based incoming passenger card.

Travelers should be aware that state specific rules also apply in Australia and could be subject to change. Whilst there are no longer any rules in place regarding cafes, bars and restaurants, face masks must be worn when on public transport in each of Australia’s states, apart from the Northern Territory and Tasmania. Travelers will also have to wear masks when flying on both international flights to Australia and domestic flights within the country. More information on specific requirements for each state can be found here.

The number of Covid-19 cases in Australia has remained high yet steady for several weeks, with the country reporting an average of just below 33,000 positive cases of the virus per day. According to the US Travel Advisory system, Australia is a Level 1 country, meaning it is amongst the safest destinations to visit in the world.

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Disclaimer: Current travel rules and restrictions can change without notice. The decision to travel is ultimately your responsibility. Contact your consulate and/or local authorities to confirm your nationality’s entry and/or any changes to travel requirements before traveling. Travel Off Path does not endorse traveling against government advisories

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July 5, 2022
Australia Removes Testing Requirement For International Arrivals
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Following the reopening of its external border earlier this year, Australia now allows international arrivals to enter testing-free if they are fully vaccinated.

Previously, the country required travelers to submit a negative Covid test result prior to boarding their flights, even when immunized. Now, this major obstacle has been officially removed as of April 18, meaning those who can prove they have received all required doses of an approved vaccine can again travel to Australia freely.

Here is a summary of all the latest entry requirements for travelers in Australia in 2022:

Pre-Departure Testing Officially Removed Following Weeks Of Speculation

While Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had already signalled previously test-free travel to Australia was not a distant prospect, many in the traveler community were suspicious of his statement.

After all, Australia used to bar entry to all foreign individuals, and even some of its own citizens, throughout the pandemic.

As Australia has adopted an overwhelmingly strict border approach during Covid, many even feared the appearance of the newly-identified BA.2 variant would lead it to put up barriers again. Surprisingly, this did not happen, and the country started reopening after months of endless delays and uncertainty.

Now, it is also following through on its promise to further ease travel rules, especially for vaccinated tourists, who had still been subject to pre-departure testing before flying. Following an update on Australia’s Department of Home Affairs website, testing is no longer required for vaccinated tourists departing to Australia after April 18, 2022.

Testing-Free Does Not Mean Requirement-Free

Despite the long-awaited relaxation of testing rules, entry to Australia is still not bureaucracy-free, even for the vaccinated.

All arrivals are still required to complete a Digital Passenger Declaration, where they will be expected to provide contact details, their travel history in the previous 14 days, and make a legally binding declaration they are aware of the Covid measures in place across different Australian states.

In summary, when seeking to enter Australia as a vaccinated tourist from now on, you will need:
- A valid passport
- A valid pre-issued visa or travel authorization, depending on your nationality
- A vaccination certificate showing you were fully immunized with an approved primary vaccination course
- A completed Digital Passenger Declaration
What Vaccines Are Accepted As Proof Of Entry?

All widely commercialized vaccines are accepted as proof of entry by Australia, with visitors required to have at least two doses of the same vaccine, or a mix of two of the following, 14 days apart and 7 days prior to entry:
- AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria)
- AstraZeneca (Covishield)
- Pfizer/Biontech (Comirnaty)
- Moderna Spikevax or Takeda
- Sinovac (Coronavac)
- Bharat Biotech (Covaxin)
- Gamaleya Research Institute Sputnik V
- Novavax/Biocelect (Nuvaxovid)
- Certain variations of the Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV vaccine
- Johnson & Johnson/Janssen*
*At least one dose

While this is far from being a complete lifting of measures as seen in Europe, it is still a huge milestone for a destination that had been completely off-limits to tourists for the best part of the pandemic.

Are Tourists Ready To Return To Australia?

As we stated previously, Australia is seeking to relaunch itself as a safe destination, as many foreigners are still wary of booking trips there.

Its controversial zero Covid approach and border closures still seem ingrained in the minds of tourists, even after international flights were allowed to restart. Even though the border is open for vaccinated individuals, Sydney Airport, the country’s most important hub, has still been ‘eerily quiet‘ compared to before.

Canadians, Brits and European Union/Schengen Area nationals do not require visas to enter or transit Australia, but they must still apply online for an ETA travel permit before flying, which only adds to the list of documents that need to be arranged in advance.

More information, including fees and other criteria visa-exempt nationals must meet, are available on Australia’s official Immigration and Citizenship website.

Once issued, an ETA is valid for up to 12 months.

What About The Unvaccinated?

Those who are yet to be immunized and who do not have a medically attested reason to qualify for an exemption to the travel ban continue to face an outright refusal of entry.

As described by the Department of Home Affairs, those who are unvaccinated and eligible for a travel exemption, as defined here, must apply in advance.

It is worth noting traveling for tourism purposes does not exempt unvaccinated visitors from the entry ban. Additionally, unlike the vaccinated, those who are exempt and are yet to be immunized must still undertake a pre-departure test.

This means either a PCR or NAAT taken within 3 days of scheduled departure or Rapid Antigen within hours.

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Disclaimer: Current travel rules and restrictions can change without notice. The decision to travel is ultimately your responsibility. Contact your consulate and/or local authorities to confirm your nationality’s entry and/or any changes to travel requirements before traveling. Travel Off Path does not endorse traveling against government advisories
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April 20, 2022