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Australia has today dismantled a major barrier to international tourists visiting down under.
More than two years after the coronavirus pandemic began, overseas travellers no longer need to provide a negative pre-departure COVID-19 test before flying.
This means travellers can avoid RATs and expensive PCR tests which had to be taken within 72 hours of boarding a flight, with a dreaded positive result causing untold chaos to a passenger's itinerary.
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International travellers must still provide proof of double vaccination and masks remain mandated on international flights.
Unvaccinated travellers may be required to quarantine on arrival in Australia at their own expense, while some countries and airlines require outbound passengers from Australia to take a pre-departure test before they can travel.
The ending of the government's long-running Biosecurity Emergency Determination heralds the return of cruise ships to Australian ports.
Travellers arriving on cruise ships must complete a Maritime Travel Declaration, documenting health and other information, before they disembark.
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It is now up to individuals states to decide if cruise ships can enter.
NSW, Victoria and Queensland will welcome vessels, with the P&O's 266-metre long Pacific Explorer set to dock in Sydney this morning.
Cruise liners were banned by the Federal Government since March 15, 2020, days after the infamous docking of the Ruby Princess where hundreds of sick passengers went onshore.
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Source: 9News
