Those headed to Fiji no longer need to test for COVID upon arrival or wear a face mask when flying with the island’s national carrier, Fiji Airways.
Effective from Monday, international travellers no longer need to provide test results or proof of test bookings to board flights to Fiji and the Entry Test Fiji portal used to pre-book tests will be discontinued.
Fiji has also reduced the mandatory isolation period for those who test positive from seven days to five days.
The announcement means travellers now only need to show proof of vaccination and travel insurance before boarding a flight to Fiji, however, masks are still required inside Fijian airports.
Testing will still 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.
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,” said Brent Hill, CEO of Tourism Fiji.
“We welcomed a record number of visitors in July, which showed an 82 per cent 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.”
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.
Since flights resumed in December last year, Fiji Airways has flown in over 100,000 holidaymakers to the tropical island and has constantly evolved entry requirements to make visiting Fiji easier for Aussies.
Demand is continuing to grow week on week, with sales from Australia now higher than 2019 bookings.
The airline is currently operating twice daily flights from Sydney, and daily flights from Melbourne and Brisbane to Nadi, Fiji. The national carrier also operates twice-weekly flights from Adelaide to Nadi.
Image: iStock/chameleonseye
