Friday 1 October 2021
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has welcomed the resumption of international travel from next month and said the Federal Government's framework for reopening the border provides hope for retailers who've been severely impacted by the absence of international tourists.
"Our international border has been closed since March last year, which is a long time to go without tourists and many businesses have been decimated as a result," ARA CEO Paul Zahra said.
"CBD retailers, regional businesses in popular tourist hot spots, as well as travel retailers are all heavily reliant on spending from international visitors and they've suffered immensely over the past 19 months.
"Before the pandemic, international travellers spent over $40 billion a year when visiting Australia and that boost to the economy has been sorely missed.
"We can't be isolated from the rest of the world forever, and as our vaccination rates steadily improve, it's only fair that Australians get their freedom back to travel overseas, and that we can enable the safe return of tourists to our shores.
"We welcome the Federal Government's announcement, which is a positive step towards getting Australia back to normal."
