The Australian Retailer's Association has welcomed the Federal Government's framework for resuming international travel, stating that it will give a boost to airport retailers who have been closed during the pandemic.
The framework comes as Victoria recorded 1,143 new infections and three deaths, while NSW recorded 864 new cases and 15 deaths on Friday.
ARA CEO Paul Zahra said international tourists bring a significant amount of revenue to the economy.
"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.
"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," he said.
As of October 1, 55.1% of Australians were fully vaccinated against COVID-19.