“The Prime Minister’s announced reopening of our international borders for vaccinated travellers will bring a sigh of relief to so many businesses and their employees whose jobs rely on inbound travel,” Innes Willox, Chief Executive of the national employer association Ai Group, said today.
“Benefits from the reopening will flow not just to businesses and employees in the tourism and hospitality sectors but also to those supplying goods and services to those industries.
“The closed border has been a reminder that Australia is not the only destination in the world for tourists, students and skilled workers and that we operate in a very competitive environment.
“While our borders have been closed, many potential visitors have simply gone elsewhere. Students and skilled workers will have diverted to the UK or the US, for example. The challenge now will be for the federal and state governments to support a major push to encourage all manner of visa holders to again look to Australia as an attractive destination. This will back up similar public and private sector campaigns.
“To be fully effective, states will need to get on the same page and consistently treat double vaccinated visitors in the same way as any other vaccinated people in our community. The sooner we are one country the better,” Mr Willox said.
