Australia fires: government reassures tourists despite world’s worst air quality in Melbourne

US government issued travel warning, which it later downgraded, coinciding with the Australian Open tennis tournament

Fires have claimed lives of 28 people, destroying more than 2,500 homes and razing forests and farmland the size of Bulgaria

3-MIN READ3-MIN

At least 180 fires continued to burn across Victoria and New South Wales. Photo: TNS

Published: 5:00pm, 14 Jan 2020Updated: 11:04pm, 14 Jan 2020

Australia on Tuesday urged international tourists to put aside concerns about raging bush fires after the United States downgraded a travel warning, even as thick smoke disrupted preparations for the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Australia is experiencing one of its most severe fire seasons on record, with bush fires burning since September and claiming the lives of 28 people, destroying more than 2,500 homes and razing forests and farmland the size of Bulgaria.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison welcomed the US move to scale back its travel warning and said Australia was “very much open for business”, amid concerns the fires would damage the tourism industry and the broader economy.

The US last week warned citizens to exercise increased caution when travelling to Australia due to the fire risks, putting it on the same Level Two advisory as protest-wracked Hong Kong.

In its latest update, the State Department revised the advisory to Level One meaning “exercise normal precautions”, however it maintained a Level Two warning for fire-hit areas including the central tablelands of New South Wales state and southeastern Victoria state.