In a major travel boost, Fiji has dropped all testing requirements for visitors arriving in the South Pacific nation, effective immediately.
The move has been hailed by the national carrier Fiji Airways as a significant one and it has also come alongside the dropping of mandatory masks onboard all flights.
“As we approach the school holidays and festive season, we are excited to make international travel even easier for Aussies and safely fly them to Fiji in under 4 hours for a holiday in paradise,” said Fiji Airways, CEO and Managing Director, Andre Viljoen.
“Demand has been remarkable since resuming flights December 1st last year and sales are growing week-on-week and are exceeding 2019 figures,” he said.
“We’ve already seen a huge number of Aussies enjoying a well-deserved break in Fiji since international travel restarted and we expect to see a spike in enquiries and bookings following this news.”
Travellers to Fiji will now only need to show proof of vaccination and travel insurance before boarding a Fiji Airways flight to the popular holiday destination of Fiji.
Tourism Fiji CEO, Brent Hill, said this is significant news for Fiji as the country’s high levels of community-wide vaccine protection, the expansion in vaccination coverage to children, the increasing uptake of booster doses, and the lessening caseload, has allowed the government to continue relaxing public health measures.
“This is another exciting step towards normalcy for tourism in Fiji,” he said.
“We welcomed a record number of visitors in July, which showed an 82% recovery from pre-pandemic levels and our highest number ever of Australian travellers.
“Now, with the removal of the required in-country test, travellers can continue enjoying our islands with even more peace of mind.”
Fiji has clearly been a popular escape for travellers, with over 100,000 people travelling to the nation on Fiji Airways since last December alone.
Fiji Airways is currently operating twice daily flights from Sydney, and daily flights from Melbourne and Brisbane to Nadi, Fiji, alongside twice-weekly flights from Adelaide to Nadi.
“Our customers can be rest assured that their well-being and safety is our highest priority. We are committed to our Travel Ready program, which was certified with the highest level 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating by SKYTRAX,” Viljoen said.
“Additionally, all Fiji Airways and Fiji Link aircraft undergo enhanced deep cleaning daily. So sit back and enjoy our award winning hospitality,” he said.
Travellers will still need to wear a mask inside Fiji Airports including Nadi Airport, but it is safe for passengers to forgo masks when onboard a Fiji Airways flight, according to Viljoen.
Furthermore, Fiji has reduced the mandatory isolation period for those who test positive from seven days to five days.
Although mandated post-arrival testing has been lifted, testing will be required for anyone who develops COVID-19 symptoms, which individuals arriving to Fiji will be asked to self-report on an immigration arrival card.
Reducing the isolation period from seven days to five days is expected to greatly assist Fiji’s tourism industry.
With hotels reporting occupancy at pre-COVID levels, they will now be able to free up inventory saved for isolation and allow even more bookings.
“Our approach to safety is exemplary — we can see that in the growing tourism demand and low positivity amongst tourists,” said Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Tourism, Shaheen Ali.
“Removing all testing requirements and reducing the isolation period further fuels our economic recovery and eases travel barriers.”