Following last week’s dual cyclones, the Vanuatu Tourism Office (VTO) has reported that rapid assessments are being undertaken across the country’s 83 islands to ensure the people of Vanuatu have access to the services they need and to assist the Vanuatu government to prioritise the work that needs to be done.
According to the VTO, communities and businesses are in clean-up mode to get back to normal as quickly as possible.
In Port Vila, on Efate:
- The Port Vila International Airport has been cleared for commercial operations.
- Air Vanuatu and all other airlines are in contact with their passengers with new flight schedules.
- The Port Agents are working with the cruise companies to prepare approval for cruise berthing in Port Vila as well as diversions for ships to Luganville, on Santo. New cruise itineraries will be finalised and published shortly.
- Port Vila’s town centre has been cleared of debris, and restaurants and shops are now reopening.
- Some essential services are yet to be restored across pockets of Port Vila, and assessment teams are yet to report on the broader archipelago.
It's going to take a lot of rebuilding for poor Vanuatu to get back to normal after cyclone Judy and Kevin #Vanuatu #portvila #cyclonekevin #storm #cyclone #judy pic.twitter.com/ROPjNd3KUc
— Yacht Delivery Solutions (@Yachtdeliveries) March 3, 2023
While On Espiritu Santo:
- The island is in operation, with properties cleaning up debris and opening their doors for business.
- However, some telecommunication services on the southern part of the island were damaged and are yet to resume.
VTO CEO, Adela Issachar Aru said the organisation is thankful for the support received to date from the international community who have sent messages of support and assistance to many of the country’s remote areas.
🇦🇺 is supporting Vanuatu’s response to TC Judy & TC Kevin. A rapid assessment team arrived on Sunday with disaster, health, infrastructure, power & humanitarian assessment capabilities. We have also delivered emergency supplies, including shelters & other items for communities. pic.twitter.com/TYAsxuwKF8
— Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 🇦🇺 (@dfat) March 6, 2023
“While many local communities in Vanuatu have been impacted, we can also report that so many of our tourism operators are fully operational and will be welcoming new guests this week as flights have now resumed,” Aru said.
“There are some of our accommodation providers that will require a couple of weeks to clean up and get back to full operations again, and we are working to ensure our partners are provided with up-to-date information on this.
“We recognise that those visitors affected by the cyclone this past week have not had the holiday they expected, and we are thankful to our tourism industry operators who have addressed the challenges with good humour.”
The VTO will continue to share updates in due course and invites agents and partners to contact its Australian office at vanuatu@gtitourism.com.au for any support required or questions regarding individual properties and operators.
Featured Image: Impact of the cyclones on Vanutatu (Twitter/@UNICEFPacific)
