Tourism Minister says international borders will reopen by Christmas “at the latest”

Tourism Minister says international borders will reopen by Christmas “at the latest”

Fully-vaccinated Australians will be allowed to travel overseas by December “at the latest”, according to Tourism Minister Dan Tehan.

The federal government is expected to begin the gradual reopening of international borders once 80 per cent of the eligible population is fully vaccinated.

Based on current projections, Australia is expected to reach this goal in December.

Speaking to the National Press Club on Wednesday, Tehan urged states to stick to the national plan and encouraged Aussies to “roll up their sleeves”.

“[International travel] is another reason why everyone should get vaccinated. We have to stick to the national plan that will see our international border open up, at this rate, by Christmas at the latest,” he said.

Last week, Qantas revealed it had scheduled the resumption of 12 international routes from 18 December, including flights to London, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Singapore, Tokyo, Fiji and Hawaii.

The Tourism Minister was not clear whether Australians will be allowed to travel on those flights, but said quarantine requirements would still be in place for countries that Australia hadn’t formed a travel bubble arrangement with.

According to Tehan, the government hopes to achieve zero quarantine requirements, but testing needs to be done first.

“One of the hopes we have, especially in the lead-up to Christmas, is that we’ll be able to see states and territories putting in place home quarantine arrangements for returning Australians. We still have a little bit of work to do on that,” he said, adding that he would also like to see shorter quarantine lengths in place.

“When an individual state hits that 80 per cent vax rate, it means that outbound travel will resume. People will be able to freely travel outside of Australia with no restrictions or limitations.

“Obviously, it will depend on the requirements that have been put in place of the countries they are travelling with.”

Both Intrepid and Qantas have expressed concerns about Australia’s quarantine system, labelling the 14-day hotel quarantine requirements for international travel a “demand killer” and an  “absolute travel killer”.

However, Tehan said the government is looking to establish more travel bubbles with no quarantine restrictions in place, and South Australia’s home quarantine trial for overseas travellers appears to be progressing well.

NSW will also launch a home quarantine pilot for fully-vaccinated international travellers in Greater Sydney next month.

Tourism Minister Dan Tehan speaking with the National Press Club (image source: ABC iView)

In the meantime, Tehan said the government has sent its new QR code-based vaccination certificate to Australia’s overseas embassies to make sure it will be accepted for overseas travel.

“What we’ve seen so far in all the reports back is the QR code system… seems to be interoperable with most of the countries that we’ve been dealing with,” he said.

In response to Tehan’s comments, Flight Centre Travel Group managing director James Kavanagh said there was plenty of pent-up travel demand.

“The first day after Qantas’s announcement regarding international flight coming back, we saw a dramatic spike in both bookings and searches – with locations ranging from Los Angeles to Delhi – and over a quarter of these bookings were for business travel,” he said.

Digital travel platform Agoda said it had seen a 20 per cent surge in Australians searching for overseas destinations, and a 12 per cent surge for inbound travel to Australia, since NSW reported it would trial a home quarantine system.

The platform said that Thailand had attracted the most searches from Aussie travellers, followed by Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, the US, Fiji, Malaysia, India and the UK.

Tehan encouraged Australians to work together to support the tourism industry until it can be kickstarted both domestically and internationally.

“The quicker we can do that the better and to do that we need everyone to get vaccinated,” he said.

“There is light at the end of the tunnel.”

Wrapping up his interview, the Tourism Minister appealed to states to “stick to the national plan”.

“Our tourism industry is dependant on it. That’s how we learn to live with the virus and that’s how we get our tourism industry back on its feet,” he said.


Featured image source: ABC iView

Latest News

  • Road & Rail

Ingenia Holiday Parks powers its very own EV Superhighway throughout NSW

Ingenia Holiday Parks has started plans to make it easier for electric vehicle drivers to explore Australia’s east coast with their expanded EV charging network. By the end of 2024, Ingenia Holiday Parks will have installed 44 new EV charging ports across 11 of its parks, enabling seamless travel from Brisbane in Queensland to Eden […]

  • Destinations
  • Regional
  • Tourism

Warrawong on the Darling’s new ownership and summer savings

Outback holiday retreat, Warrawong on the Darling, has new owners marking a new era for the cabin, van and camping park near Wilcannia, and released savings for summer stays and a free roast dinner on Christmas Day. Nestled by a pristine billabong on the Darling River and surrounded by sand dunes, far horizons, rugged open […]

  • Aviation

Visit Sunshine Coast, Jetstar host Kiwi trade partners ahead of JQ Auckland-Maroochydore launch

Visit Sunshine Coast’s trade and international manager, Emily Zinowki, treated Auckland trade partners to a hosted lunch alongside Jetstar New Zealand. The lunch was in celebration of the imminent launch of the new JQ Auckland to Maroochydore direct service on 13 December. The year-round direct flights between Auckland and the Sunshine Coast are a first […]

  • Cruise

Celebrity Cruises opens new 2026/27 sailing bookings

Celebrity Cruises has opened bookings for its exciting new 2026/27 sailings, including the Grand Voyage, a 110-night journey, and the longest without repeating ports for Celebrity. Aussies will be able to book fan favourite Celebrity Solstice as she returns to Australia in the 2026/27 season as part of Celebrity Cruises’ Grand Voyage. When they aren’t taking […]

  • Cruise
  • Cruise Lines

Heritage Line launches 2025 early bird discount

Boutique river cruise operator, Heritage Line, has launched an early bird discount with up to US$200 (around AU$313) off on bookings for 2025. The offer is available until 31 December, making it ideal for those planning to gift a trip to someone for the holidays or for those ready to plan their 2025 vacations. The […]

  • News

Tragedy at Bali’s Ubud Monkey Forest as tree collapse kills two

A freak event claimed the lives of two tourists at the popular Ubud Monkey Forest in Bali on Tuesday afternoon local time when a large tree branch collapsed. A 32-year-old French woman and a 42-year-old Korean woman were fatally injured. At around 12:30 pm a sudden storm with strong winds and heavy rain arrived with […]

  • Aviation
  • Hotels
  • Travel Agents

Dorchester and Cathay Pacific advisor promotion winners enjoy luxury fam in Rome and Milan

Winners of a Dorchester Collection and Cathay Pacific travel advisor promotion enjoyed a luxury fam in Roma and Milan where they were wined and dined before enjoying a stopover in Hong Kong. The winners, Hema Desai (Spencer Travel), Ani Aladjadjian (ATPI), Mimi Romijn (Wentworth Travel), Emma Neely-Bartlett (Travel Beyond Group), Nicole Reber (Mosman Travel), Steve […]

  • Food & Beverage
  • Hotels

Lee Ho Fook chef Victor Liong adds another chapter with new offering Singapore’s Quenino Artyzen hotel

Melbourne chef Victor Liong, of the two-hatted Lee Ho Fook, has added to his culinary storytelling with Quenino by Victor Liong, in Singapore’s Artyzen hotel, where contemporary Asian cuisine is served with a relaxed fine-dining flair. Artyzen Singapore emerged from an iconic Singapore heritage landmark that was once the sprawling tropical-garden mansion named “Villa Marie” […]

  • Food & Beverage

Tolpuddle Vineyard opens Tasting Room in Coal River Valley

Tolpuddle Vineyard is opening its Tasting Room at their Coal River Valley property in Richmond, Tasmania, this Friday, 13 December. The Tolpuddle Vineyard Tasting Room, managed by Pip Anderson, previously general manager of hospitality at Mona, will be open from Friday to Monday, 11am to 5pm with appointments available online. Visitors can taste a flight […]

  • Aviation

Air Tahiti Nui celebrates big wins with 2025 APEX awards and Cash & Miles Program

Air Tahiti Nui has again been recognised for service to travellers being honoured with the prestigious Five Star Major Airline title for the 7th consecutive year. Announced at the APEX/IFSA Awards 2025 ceremony, the ranking is based on passenger reviews of over one million flights and 600 airlines. The flagship carrier of The Islands of […]