Bondi in summer isn't exactly what Moa Hoflin imagined.
"It's very quiet," the 21-year-old Swede told the ABC.
"I knew that Australia had been closed for a while, but I did think it'd be a little busier."
Sitting at the near-empty Bondi Beach Backpackers, a stone's throw from the famous beach, Moa is a rare entity these days.
She's a backpacker on a working holiday visa — part of only a small number who have arrived in the country since Australia partly reopened its borders in December.
And her new-found friends, Ida Markusson and Antonia Nehlin, also from Sweden, are part of that other elusive group: international students.
Once international visitors were an all-too-common fixture in Bondi — and across the country — now the three young women are the first wave of arrivals in what government and industry hope is the return to some semblance of pre-COVID travel to Australia.
However, with the border closed for almost two years — and events such as the Novak Djokovic saga generating international headlines — there is one lingering question on the lips of tourism operators, accommodation providers and almost every hospitality venue in the country:
When will they come back?
So, where the bloody hell are they?
Last month, the government reopened the door to backpackers on working holiday visas and international students and earlier announced travel bubbles with countries such as Singapore.
The government has since announced it will open the borders to all fully-vaccinated International tourists on February 21.
It came as a welcome surprise to industry insiders, with some predicting it could take as long as six months to open, with a best-case scenario of a pre-Easter opening tipped by most.
As a stopgap, in January the government dangled a carrot to prospective backpackers and international students to come to Australia by scrapping the $600 fee to apply for a visa.
And, with about 23,500 backpackers and 150,000 international students holding a valid visa currently not in Australia, the Prime Minister had a message for those watching and waiting.
"Come on down," Scott Morrison said.
In the very same week, the US joined the European Union in warning its citizens not to travel to Australia, issuing a "code red" over the current Omicron wave.
It was a move that shocked many in the tourism industry and has the warnings remain valid in February.
According to Margy Osmond, the chief executive of the Tourism & Transport Forum Australia, the "code red" decision was the latest in a long line of hits to the industry and Australia's global reputation.
"Restoring consumer confidence is pivotal," she said.
"And that certainly didn't help.
"But, if you're going to convince people to come back here, it's not going to happen overnight. We need certainty from governments on things like RATs and the borders in order to first encourage backpackers back and then the tourists when the borders open."
Ryan Hanly, the chief executive and co-founder of Australian backpacker-focused travel group Travello, agreed.
For him, the recent decision by the West Australian government to scrap the reopening of its border was an example of the uncertainty backpackers faced when coming to Australia.
"From my talks with colleagues overseas, the way the rest of Australia is looking at WA on opening up is the way the rest of the world is looking at Australia," he said.
Mr Hanly — whose company books travel experiences for backpackers — says he welcomes the government's announcement to scrap the visa fee, but has not seen any discernible increase in bookings since.
He says young people will make the journey back to Australia but the big question is: When?
"There's pent-up demand, no doubt," he said. "I have colleagues this week who sent me photos of packed hostels in Sri Lanka, for example.
"Young people will always want to come to Australia, I have no doubt about that. But we think it'll take at least two to three months to see any increase in arrivals.
"In the meantime, we just need that certainty and not see any surprises like what we saw in WA"
A spokesperson for the federal government's Department of Home Affairs said recent demand for the working holiday-maker visas had been "strong".
The department said 2,032 working holiday-makers had arrived in the country from December 15 to January 17, and there were 18,378 living and working in the country.
According to the department, this time in 2021 there were 49,542 working holiday-makers in Australia and, in 2020 — before COVID hit — there were 141,100.
'Terrified' but 'excited'
The ABC spoke to a handful of backpackers from Europe and the UK who had had their visas approved or were waiting on approval about their plans to come to Australia.
Some said they were "terrified" and "uncertain" about travel in the COVID-19 era. Others were "excited" and said Australia's hard border or the threat of COVID-19 had no impact on their desire to explore the country.
Others raised concerns about the cost of flights from Australia to Europe, with less demand meaning flights were generally more expensive.
For Frenchman William Gibouri, from Brittany in the country's north-west, the only thing stopping him from coming to Australia was the delay in processing his visa.
Mr Gibouri, 29, told the ABC he had been waiting patiently for signs that Australia's border was reopening. He applied for his visa in late November and wanted to get to Australia by March.
"It's still pending approval," he said. "And I have friends who applied in December but are wanting to come in September who have already got theirs approved."
Mr Gibouri — who wants to do farm work or work at a winery — says Australia's hardline stance during COVID-19 has had no impact on his desire to come to Australia.
He says only WA's decision to keep its hard border has impacted him, as he plans to start his trip in Perth.
Several other backpackers who spoke to the ABC also said they'd faced delays getting their visas processed.
The Department of Home Affairs said it was aiming to finalise new and existing applications "as soon as possible".
It said it had received 9,665 applications so far in January.
Damage done to 'brand Australia'
When COVID-19 hit Australia, images of international students queuing for free food circulated around the country.
Thousands of backpackers left the country as Australia went into lockdown and work dried up, with Mr Morrison at the time urging backpackers who could not support themselves to "go home".
More recently, after almost two years of closed borders, the international coverage surrounding the tennis star Djokovic has highlighted Australia's stance on vaccination and protecting its border.
Andrew Hughes — a marketing lecturer at ANU’s Research School of Management — said there was "no doubt" a lot of damage had been done to "brand Australia".
He said only "time" and "word of mouth" from backpackers and travellers coming to the country would turn it around.
"Things will change once travellers know they won't be put in hotel quarantine or put in detention — that's the fear of fortress Australia," he said.
"The moment that's all wiped out and resolved and it's clear, then we’ll see the confidence come back.
"But, at the moment, you can understand the hesitancy. We basically told people, 'We don't want you here', so it'll be difficult for a time to get them back."
Back in Bondi, Ida Markusson and Antonia Nehlin were both hopeful their parents could come to Australia to visit during their six-month stay.
"My mum has been following the news," Ida said.
"She came to Australia a long time ago and wants to come back.
"But, with tourists banned, I don't know if it's possible.
"I hope so, but who knows?"
