Australia on Monday announced to reopen its borders to vaccinated travelers from this month, ending two years of misery for the tourism sector.

The reopening comes into effect on February 21. The country had closed its border in March 2020, it's allowing people to travel to Australia from anywhere in the world as long as they are vaccinated.

"If you're double-vaccinated, we look forward to welcoming you back to Australia," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at a media briefing in Canberra.

The tourism industry, which has relied on the domestic market that has itself been heavily impacted by movement restrictions, welcomed the decision.

"Over the two years since the borders have been closed the industry has been on its knees," said Australian Tourism Export Council Managing Director Peter Shelley.

"Now we can turn our collective efforts towards rebuilding an industry that is in disrepair," he added.

International and domestic tourism losses in Australia since the start of the pandemic totaled A$101.7 billion ($72 billion), according to the government body Tourism Research Australia. In Australia, international travel spending plunged from A$44.6 billion in the 2018-19 financial year to A$1.3 billion in 2020-21, TRA said.

As elsewhere globally, Australian COVID-19 cases have soared in recent weeks due to the Omicron variant. But with more than nine in 10 Australians aged over 16 fully vaccinated, new cases and hospitalizations appear to have slowed, the authorities say.

Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced on Monday that the government will provide tax breaks for businesses and individuals who need COVID-19 tests.

"Today, I'm announcing that we will ensure that COVID-19 testing expenses are tax-deductible for testing taken to attend a place of work, giving businesses and individuals more clarity and assurance," he said in a speech to the Australian Industry (AI) Group.

The country reported around 23,000 new infections on Monday, its lowest for 2022 and far from a peak of 150,000 around a month ago.

Around 2.4 million cases have been recorded in Australia since the first Omicron case was detected in the country in November. Until then, Australia had counted some 200,000 cases. Total deaths stand at 4,248 since the pandemic began.

(With input from agencies)