INTERNATIONAL: On Monday, February 21, Australia has fully reopened its international borders to travellers vaccinated against the coronavirus after nearly two years of pandemic-related closings as tourists returned and hundreds of people were reunited with family and friends.

Arriving travelers have shed tears and hugged their family members at Sydney airport and were welcomed with Tim Tams confectionaries, jars of of Vegemite, an essential Australian staple and stuffed Koala toys.

More than 50 international flights will reach the country through the day, including 27 touching down at Sydney, its largest city, as the tourism and hospitality sectors look to rebuild after getting hammered by COVID-19 restrictions. Australian Tourism Minister Dan Tehan said there would a "very strong" rebound in the tourism market with Qantas looking to fly more than 14,000 passengers into Australia this week.

Tourism is one of Australia's biggest industries, worth more than $43 billion(USD) and employing about 5 percent of the country's workforce. But the sector was crippled after the country shut its borders in March 2020.

Once a champion of COVID-suppression strategy, Australia has shifted away from its fortress-style controls and relentless lockdowns since late last year and began living with the virus after reaching higher vaccination levels. Skilled migrants, international students and backpackers have been allowed to fly into Australia since November in a staggered reopening exercise. As borders fully reopen, Australia's outbreak of the Omicron coronavirus variant appears to have passed its peak with hospital admissions steadily falling over the past three weeks.

^{PHOTO: TRAVELLERS BEING GREETED ON ARRIVAL IN SYDNEY AIRPORT, PEOPLE HUGGING, SOUNDBITES FROM ARRIVING TRAVELLERS AND AUSTRALIAN TOURISM MINISTER, PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH TERMINAL}