Aust urged to dump pre-flight travel tests

The Australian government is being urged to end pre-departure testing for all fully vaccinated international travellers and open the border to tourists and business arrivals.

South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania have dropped testing requirements for the fully vaccinated arriving from interstate, as COVID-19 infections climb following domestic border reopenings.

Melbourne Airport, the second largest in the nation, has urged the Commonwealth to do the same for double-jabbed overseas travellers, who are still required to show on arrival proof of a negative PCR test taken within three days of departure to Australia.

"The fear of being stuck overseas because of a positive test result is a major deterrent for many Australians considering an overseas holiday, and it's clear this requirement now provides no public health benefit and serves no useful purpose," Melbourne Airport chief of aviation Lorie Argus said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Aviation's recovery depends on passengers having certainty, and it is important that governments provide that at every possible opportunity."

Nine nations across the globe are currently exempt from Australia's pre-flight testing requirement, while travellers coming from a dozen more nations have a slightly longer 96-hour window.

Australia's Omicron wave is expected to impact the rest of the summer travel period, after passenger numbers surged at Tullamarine in December.

Traveller numbers were up 46 per cent compared to the same month in 2020, with 1,115,233 people passing through the airport's four terminals.

Some 135,823 overseas travellers were among them, its highest monthly figure since the international border was slammed shut in March 2020.

But while overseas arrivals are rebounding, there is still a dearth of tourists as only fully vaccinated Australians, permanent residents and valid visa holders are able to enter the country.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry's tourism chair John Hart said it was time to usher in fully vaccinated tourists and business travellers to provide the industry with the confidence to resume operations.

"Opening the borders last month to international students, skilled migrants, working holiday makers and other important visa holders who have to be vaccinated and tested before they arrive has demonstrated that international arrivals pose very little additional risk," he said.

The group also wants the federal government to consider fee-free tourist visas to enhance the nation's competitiveness as a tourist destination.