Sydney – In response to the announcement by the Australian government on the next steps to reopen, Philip Goh, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Asia Pacific, gave the following comment:
“This is a step forward. But more can still be done. The announcement of the November timeline and the removal of the international arrival caps are positive steps forward. The reduction of quarantine period and introduction of home quarantine for vaccinated Australians are also steps in the right direction. We welcome the use of rapid antigen tests for international travel.
Realistically, the woes of the travel and tourism sectors will persist as long as passenger caps are retained for unvaccinated arrivals and quarantine remains even for the vaccinated. International travel recovery will be muted and restrained when quarantine remains.
Ultimately, the need to quarantine should be removed for those who are vaccinated and who test negative prior to departure for Australia . We urge the…