2000 backpackers have arrived in Australia since borders opened

More than 2000 foreign backpackers have arrived in Australia in the first five weeks since border restrictions were lifted in mid-December with hospitality venues eagerly trying to secure their services amid staff shortages.

The federal government announced on Wednesday it would refund the $495 visa fee for working holidaymakers who arrive in the next three months to try and stimulate demand. New data from the Department of Home Affairs shows how few backpackers are arriving, compared to pre-pandemic.

Goja Rabe and Milena Roytenberg arrived in Australia this week after waiting nine months to enter. Credit: Nick Moir

There were 19,109 working holidaymakers in Australia on January 8, compared to 49,542 a year ago and 141,142 two years ago.

Since the borders opened on December 15 to backpackers, 2032 working holiday visa holders have arrived. There are another 23,494 people with valid visas outside Australia, and the government hopes the refund scheme will hasten their plans. The department said demand for the visas has been strong.

German backpackers Milena Roytenberg and Goja Rabe, both 19, arrived in Sydney on Monday after waiting nine months to come to Australia. The pair plan to stay here for two years, working in hospitality and travelling.

“Right now we're looking for a job,” Ms Roytenberg said. “We just arrived and we asked a friend from reception – she said the Opera [House] is a really good place. We just asked today and they said you can come tomorrow [for an interview].”

Ms Roytenberg said she’s excited about being here, despite hearing how Australia was “all closed and really strict” last year.

“It was really frustrating [waiting for borders to open]. We waited in Germany for about four months, then it was really boring because of the lockdown, so we went to Mexico because the borders were open.

“We want to make a road trip after a few months, maybe to Byron Bay or Melbourne and see some new places.”

Tourism Australia will receive $3 million for a promotional campaign to encourage more backpackers to visit. A spokesman said details of how the money would be spent were unclear, but the campaign would focus on key markets such as the UK, continental Europe and Canada.

There was a spike in backpacker visas issued in December leading up to the border opening. Between December 1 and 15, immigration authorities granted 12,681 visas, compared to an average of 1200 a month between July and November. However, in the first week of January, only 1680 visas were issued.

While the backpacker market is slow to rebound, hostel staff are enjoying hearing foreign accents again after bookings plummeted during the border closures.

Anna Menting, operations manager at Somerville Hospitality which runs Sydney Backpackers, said she has more bookings for March and April than for February.

“Pre-COVID during Christmas, New Year and Mardi Gras we were fully booked – people would ask if they could come sleep in the foyer in sleeping bags. There were more backpackers than we had beds. I reckon it’ll take six to 10 months to properly recover,” she said.

Ms Menting said she gets daily messages from restaurants and cafes asking if the hostel has any backpackers looking for work.

“On the backpacker groups on Facebook you can see a lot of people stressing out about it. [But] you arrive and get a job on the day,” she said.

“I think it’s the best time ever to come because we’re in summer, Sydney’s raining jobs, it’s not too busy and everyone is fighting for [workers].”

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