Australia trying to convince international tourists to return
 

They've gone on a marketing campaign, even spending millions on a Super Bowl ad.

You do hear the covid denier types talking about how Australia went totalitarian with measures to control the pandemic. Also some schadenfreude about Australia seeing big increase in cases during the Omicron wave, which was after travel restrictions were loosened because most of the states had achieved very high vaccination rates.

Australia is requiring full vaccination and the Victoria premier has apparently said they will require boosted tourists only.

Read in Escape: https://apple.news/AlYICM61LSl-y4CvqudEAjQ
Article alludes to polling on "alternative media platforms" reflecting an anti-Australia sentiment. But any resistance to people in the UK and US has more to do with cost and distance than any objection to Australian policies.

Article quotes Qantas CEO as saying they've had strong bookings from US and UK as well as some spikes in sales from India, South Africa and Canada.

March, April and May are shaping up to see a good volume of international arrivals.

We have always run Tourism campaigns in target overseas areas, so the fact that we are doing it in conjunction with our opening borders is hardly surprising. If I watched TV, I would probably see Tourist campaigns from smart offshore countries’ Tourism Departments inviting Australians to visit them, now that we can spread our wings.

Just a point, and it was probably a typo - I think you probably meant “ But any resistance BY people in the UK and US has more to do with cost and distance than objection to Australian policies.” The only objection we have TO tourists from those or other places is the unvaccinated ones.

I do think the uncertainty around some State & Territory border restrictions comes into play for people planning trips including those areas. A Scottish friend has re-booked two trips to Australia this year & is trying to juggle an Itinerary which might or might not include small-group excursions in the top end.

I'm curious about how visitors will demonstrate that they are vaccinated when they visit restaurants, hotels, shops, etc. We wouldn't have a clue about overseas certificates and whether what we're seeing is valid or not (it may not be in English either). Maybe this is another reason why there is talk of reducing the occasions on which you need to show that you're vaccinated?

I know many, many people who are cautious to travel within Australia so it doesn't surprise me that people from overseas are hesitant to visit, especially if it's a long haul flight with masks, etc.

I wish I had a crystal ball to know when easy travel will be possible again.

Dreamon
I suspect that you would need to show your vaccination details before you can get on the plane to come here. I agree that no-one checks much when you are here..

Actually I get checked quite often, pretty much whenever I go out as that's the regulation (I live in Melbourne) but there was a very recent change reducing the times that's needed. Of course, you'd need to show your certificate when boarding the plane to come here (at least for the moment) but once here, no one would know whether someone is a tourist. Of course, it's the same for us if we head overseas, in that people may not recognise our certificates.

Similar here on the Gold Coast, Margo & Dreamon. Whilst the shopping centres seem to have dropped the check-in requirement, it’s a requirement to check in & show your vaccination * status at restaurants, clubs pubs chemists and some other places. Those places are supposed to check your vaccination status & IME, there’s about 75 compliance in the checking. I always thank the person checking for doing so. I guess there are a few idiots who carry on, so I like to give them a bit of appreciation for doing a job they probably don’t like much. On the other hand, it’s keeping them safer too and god knows the hotspo industry could do with all the help it get to stay safe. The places I know have all been hit hard & everyone is scratching to get full staff complements for shifts.


The mask rules seem a bit unclear - but I think it’s basically within enclosed spaces unless you’re eating or drinking. That’s what I do anyway - I Have a mask in my pocket or bag every time I leave home.

* in Queensland a green tick ✅ appears beside your name on the check-in app when you have the 2nd vaccination. Clicking on that shows the date you had the 2nd jab & is updated with the date of your booster when you have that. The app also shows all the places, dates & times you’ve checked in.

Bit of humour. There’s a fellow who lives nearby & drives his topless sports car with his mask on. Bald head, no hat but blue surgical mask. Perfect target market for the portable outdoor seat-belt 😁

Every restaurant and movie theatre Ive been to has asked for vaccination certificate and Im in melbourne -no cert no entry.

Well they're advertising heavily in the US.

Qantas sent me an email urging me to book.

So they better be prepared to take US CDC cards with messy handwriting.

scrb11, at least it will be in English. I'm a bit gobsmacked that they are handwritten.

My view is that because there is no internationally recognised covid vaccination certificate and apparently no requirement to apply for an Australian visitor one, sooner rather than later vaccination status won't be checked (because it will be too difficult). I don't think that's a good thing but it will just become impractical to do so unless there is a government led solution put in place (and there is no sign of this happening in Australia). If anyone knows otherwise, I'd love to hear about it.

Some of us do have digitial copies of our certificates. Why wouldn't an Australian restaurant accept that and an ID?

If you're talking about some digital certificates issued by some states or counties, you'd have to ask them.

They're not universal for Americans so they may balk at treating them as equivalent to the US CDC cards that all vaccinated Americans should have.

Australian venues will likely accept any certificate that looks legitimate (and that they can read) but they just won't know whether what's being shown to them is legitimate because they will never have seen them before. Of course, once they get familiar with them it will be easier.

After a slow start, Australia now has high vaccination rates (for the over 12s) so checking vaccination status will likely eventually be discontinued in most settings.

Well I just booked airline tickets for November. Not so much the advertising or the hopeful improvement in pandemic conditions but a great deal.

http://www.passports.gov.au/guidance...n-certificates
has information of interest. It seems to be applicable for those entering Australia (i.e. at the border) but doesn't indicate whether these certificate rules apply for restaurants, etc. Presumably they do.

Apply for your visa / ETA now, if you haven't already done so. There have been reports of hideous delays

And welcome to our country

Thanks for the warning.

But since it's valid for 12 months, I was hoping to wait until the last minute possible or at least closer to November.

Any ideas how bad it is?

Any experiences with the different car rental agencies?

When searching for cars, a lot of what are apparently domestic companies come up.

I've heard of Ace and Jucy but I'm seeing Bargain Car Rentals, East Coast Rentals and others.

Price differences are significant, like a range of 10x for a Compact Automatic.

I've heard of Jucy, they are aimed at the backpacker market. Have also heard of East Coast Rentals but know nothing about them, don't know the others you mention. You could check online reviews. We used No Birds once and they were good but only in Sydney and Perth I think.

We have car hire booked for next month, in Cairns, and I found some of the lesser known agencies were much cheaper than Hertz, Avis etc. But when I looked further, it's likely the cheaper companies have older cars, fewer depots (like not in the city, only at airport etc). Also check when the depots are open, particularly if you want to collect or return on a weekend. We have used Hertz around the world and in the end, I booked with them. Car rentals are hard to get, don't leave it too late to book. I booked a few months ago and when I checked recently, they were completely sold out for our dates.

Yeah I thought all the domestic agencies used older cars.

I recently booked a rental from Sydney with Avis via Trailfinders a UK based travel agency. They got me much better rates, no excess and an additional driver than booking direct with Avis (even as a “Preferred Member”) or with the usual consolidator sites. Similar situation on a recent trip to California where I was also offer a significant vehicle upgrade for $50 on a 3 week rental. Hoping the same happens in Sydney!