Australia resumes visa processing for tour groups from this country as Covid subsides

CANBERRA - Authorities in Australia have announced the resumption of the visa process for Chinese group travelers, an official statement confirmed.

Don Farrell, the Minister for Trade and Tourism, announced on Monday that visa processing for the Approved Destination Status (ADS) travel scheme has resumed for the first time since the pandemic put travel to a halt across the world.

In a statement, Farrell branded the initiative as a major boost for Australia's tourism industry.

"The resumption of Chinese group tour travel will provide another welcome boost for Australia's hard-working tourism operators," he said.

"The Government has worked with industry to ensure we are well positioned to welcome back Chinese group tours, including putting in place the relevant agreements between both governments and industry for ADS visa processing."

"We look forward to welcoming more Chinese travellers to Come and Say G'day and experience the stunning scenery and world-class tourism experiences Australia has to offer."

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, China held the distinction of being Australia's primary contributor of international tourists. According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), it was indicated that in 2019, a substantial figure of 1.4 million visitors from China journeyed to Australia.

According to the minister, ADS visa holders spent approximately 581 million Australian dollars (373.3 million U.S. dollars) in the country in 2019, which is almost one-third of the total amount spent by Chinese visitors.

In a recent development, China declared the reinstatement of group tours to an expanded list of international destinations last month. Among the nations featured were Japan, Britain, the United States, and Australia.

As the social distancing protocols have been lifted across the world, travel seems to be recovering at a swift pace. Trave operators, the hoteling industry, and airlines are seeing unprecedented growth in the tourism industry which is a positive development in the backdrop of the fact that the sector bore the brunt of the pandemic for over 3 years.