Australia won't welcome international tourists until 2022

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says international tourists won’t be welcomed back to Australia until next year, with the return of skilled migrants and students given higher priority

CANBERRA, Australia -- International tourists won’t be welcomed back to Australia until next year, with the return of skilled migrants and students given higher priority, the prime minister said on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia was expected to reach the vaccination benchmark on Tuesday at which the country could begin to open up: 80% of the population aged 16 and older having a second shot.

Last week, he outlined plans to allow vaccinated citizens and permanent residents to fly overseas from November for the first time since an extraordinarily tough travel ban took effect in March last year.

But Morrison on Tuesday said that after Australians, the next priority would be skilled migrants and international students entering Australia before tourists.