Australia reopens borders to world for first time in nearly 2 years

• The country's tough pandemic policies made headlines last month when world men's tennis no. 1 Novak Djokovic was deported from the country for being unvaccinated.

Details: Foreign travelers who've received two COVID-19 vaccine doses don't need to quarantine.

• "Unvaccinated visa holders will still need to be in an exempt category or hold an individual travel exemption to enter Australia," per an Australian government statement.
• Unvaccinated travelers must pay to stay in isolation at a hotel for up to 14 days, the BBC notes.

By the numbers: Some 9.5 million international visitors traveled to Australia in 2019, according to Tourism Australia.

What they're saying: "The return of double vaccinated international visitors will reinvigorate Australia's tourism sector, that supports 660,000 jobs and contributed $60.4 billion to the economy in 2018-19," per a government statement.

• "The first visitors back in Sydney will be greeted with gifts of Vegemite and toy koalas and kangaroos, an iconic Surf Life Saving crew and a DJ playing Australia's favourite tunes," the statement added.