A popular holiday destination protects itself from the corona virus with rigorous entry bans.
But now there is a glimmer of hope for international tourists.
Australia vacation: First international flights soon allowed - but not for all
Update from November 23, 2020
: Just recently, Australian tour operators were pessimistic about international tourism.
Foreign holidaymakers from Europe could probably only re-enter from July 2021, according to an online trade fair.
But now there is a first glimmer of hope for long-haul travelers:
According to Australian media reports,
Melbourne
will
resume international air traffic from December 7th
.
The state of Victoria was hardest hit by the corona pandemic.
The capital Melbourne was under lockdown for almost four months - there were hardly any other places in the world that were subject to such long restrictions.
International flights were suspended from the beginning of July after violations of the hotel quarantine program led to rising case numbers.
Since the situation has now largely been brought under control, the city wants to
relax
again
and allow international flights from December 7th.
However, entry should only be possible under strict conditions: Those who come to Australia must first
go to
hotel quarantine
for
14 days
- often for a fee.
In addition, according to the Australian news portal The Age, the number of international passengers arriving is
limited to
160 passengers per day
.
The weekly limit for Australia will be raised to almost 8,000 people.
The relaxed entry regulation is therefore mainly intended for travelers
returning
who are stranded overseas.
Tourist entries from most countries are currently still prohibited - this still applies to
German travelers
.
Germans will probably only be able to go on holiday to Australia again when the infection situation in Europe improves significantly.
Rigorous entry ban: This holiday destination will probably not allow tourists for another year
Original message from November 18, 2020
: Anyone who has always dreams of a trip to Australia will have to be patient for a while.
The corona pandemic has resulted in an entry ban for all foreign travelers.
In particular, tourist trips are no longer allowed.
And it will probably stay that way for some time to come: The tourism industry in Down Under fears that the rules for vacationers * could only be relaxed again from mid-2021.
Australia vacation: Tour operators do not expect changes until mid-2021
The number of corona cases in Australia is negligible:
The
Department of Health does
not even
count
100 active cases
(as of November 18), and there are hardly any new infections - only 6 cases were reported on November 17.
So that it stays that way, the current entry rules will probably not change anytime soon.
At the first "Australia Marketplace Online", an online trade fair run by Australian tour operators, the local providers showed little hope that holidaymakers from Europe could soon come back, as reported by the online portal "Reise vor 9".
Planning a vacation in Australia
A vacation in Australia needs to be planned well in advance if it is possible again.
There is a lot to discover and a lot to consider: the travel guide and illustrated book “Unterwegs in Australien” (promotional link) will help you.
The talk is currently
the second half of 2021 at the earliest
, according to organizers such as Brian Hennessey from Sunlover Reef Cruises or Nicole Mitchell from Discover Aboriginal Experiences.
Georg Vollmer, managing director of AAT Kings - the largest provider of bus tours in Australia - also assumes that the borders will not be opened beforehand.
All tours for the international market were therefore canceled until the end of June.
Only a vaccine could allow tourists from abroad to enter the country earlier.
Until foreign travelers are allowed again, the Australian providers try
to stay afloat
with
local tourists
.
The Australians are very fond of traveling and are also not allowed to leave the country.
In addition, there would be state aid, which will only be available until March for the time being.
Also interesting
: Vacation despite Corona: These travel countries are not yet risk areas.
Air travel to Australia: will everything get more expensive after Corona?
Qantas boss Alan Joyce also had a say at the online event, according to “Reise vor 9”:
All intercontinental flights were canceled until March
, and he does not expect an increased volume of travel before July - and that now, of all places, when the airline has itss Celebrating 100th birthday.
The only hope is direct flight corridors between two countries with low corona infection rates - for example to New Zealand or Japan.
The airline boss does not assume that flight tickets to Australia could become more expensive due to the corona pandemic.
The managers of Singapore Airlines and Emirates agreed - the
airfares would remain "very interesting"
.
After all, business would have to be revived after the crisis and air travel would have to remain attractive for travelers.
* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
Also read
: This holiday island is only allowed to visit those who have already had the corona virus.
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List of rubric lists: © dpa / David Crosling
