It’s the day the world — and especially tourism operators and airlines around Australia — have been waiting almost two years for.

‘Fortress Australia’ has finally reopened international borders from Monday to vaccinated tourists without quarantine requirements for the first time since 9pm on Friday March 20, 2020.

While the federal government has gradually reopened to select visa holders, international students and backpackers over the past six months — from Monday February 21 — international tourists, business travellers, family and friends will be welcomed back to Australia once again without needing to spend time in a quarantine facility upon arrival.

Australians and foreign tourists will not need a booster to enter Australia. Travellers, however, will still be required to have had two doses of an approved Covid-19 vaccine.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney International Airport will have 27 overseas flights land on the first day of opening – including five from Singapore, four from Los Angeles and two each from Auckland, Vancouver and Tokyo.

The border reopening comes just days after Western Australia’s premier Mark McGowan announced the state’s hard border will come down on March 3, acknowledging that sealing off the state has become “ineffective” in the face of a surging local outbreak.

The state’s reopening will happen nearly 700 days after WA first sealed itself off from other states in April 2020.

Aussies hoping to get overseas and back without having to quarantine will be required to have an International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate from the MyGov portal.

The only restraint on vaccinated arrivals into Australia on February 21 will be that states will require international travellers who are fully vaccinated to take a Covid-19 test (PCR or RAT) within 24 hours of arriving at their accommodation, which they must not travel to via public transport.

The holiday-maker must isolate at their own accommodation until receiving a negative test, and asked to stay away from high-risk settings for a further seven days.

New South Wales and Victoria, who have introduced a range of easements to Covid-19 restrictions, will still demand unvaccinated travellers quarantine in an accredited hotel, but the time period has been reduced for 14 days to seven.

With tourism was one of the fastest growing sectors in Australia’s economy prior to the pandemic, experts believe the restart of international arrivals will be slower than expected.

Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Airports Association chief executive James Goodwin the bounce-back won’t “look anywhere near pre-pandemic levels” for some time.

“We can expect over the coming weeks numbers will ramp up as confidence grows”, Mr Goodwin said.

“We would hope to see at least a doubling of passenger numbers in the next six months, so it is important Australia is seen as a holiday destination again.”

- news.com.au