The Australian Government has also announced fully vaccinated eligible visa holders will be able to entre Australia without needing to apply for a travel exemption from 1 December. Eligible visa holders include Working Holiday Makers (Subclass 417) and Work and Holiday Visa (Subclass 462).

“In addition to the announcement of quarantine free travel from South Korea to Australia, the return of eligible working holiday makers to Australia from 1 December is welcome news for our tourism industry.

“Working holiday makers are crucial to the tourism sector as these young travelers tend to stay longer, spend more and disperse more widely as they travel whilst also providing a flexible source of workers by combining their time in Australia with work and travel plans,” Ms Harrison said.

Tourism Australia Executive General Manager Eastern Markets and Aviation Andrew Hogg said that he hoped South Korean citizens would make the most of the new quarantine-free travel arrangements and enjoy being amongst some of the first international travelers able to travel to Australia from 1 December.

“Australia has long been a popular travel destination for South Koreans, who spent $1.5 billion on their travels here in 2019,” Mr Hogg said.

“Australia’s relative isolation from the rest of the world, coupled with its sparsely populated land and natural wonders, have never been more precious and desirable, and we hope that South Korean travelers will jump on the opportunity to fall in love with Australia all over again.”