Fiji is the ultimate ‘revenge travel’ destination with international borders opening on December 1st allowing quarantine-free travel for visitors from Travel Partner countries. 

Thursday 18th November, 2021

‘Revenge travel’ is a buzzword that has swept the travel industry in recent months that quite succinctly describes the mindset of those looking to ‘take revenge’ on the past year or two by splurging on longer and more lavish holidays as the world begins to open up post-coronavirus.

Would-be travellers from all over Fiji and around the world were thwarted time and again in their attempts to plan getaways by restrictions introduced in attempts to contain each new wave of the pandemic.

Even those travellers not limited by lockdowns in their home nations ands provinces were largely blocked from any larger scale travel due to shuttered international borders.

Of course, border closures and travel restrictions through 2020 and 2021 were responsible for a lot more than just disrupting some people’s holiday plans, as many Fijian business owners and workers well know.

Fiji’s large and highly developed tourism industry contributed almost 40% to the national GDP prior to the pandemic, with around 150,000 workers around the country employed in the sector.

It’s safe to say that confirmation of Fiji’s international border opening on 01 December 2021 offering quarantine-free travel to international visitors from Travel Partner countries was the good news many Fijians involved in the tourism sector were waiting for ahead of the hectic Christmas holiday season.

Now that the vaccination milestone of 85% of Fiji’s adult population has been safely passed, Fiji can safely welcome fully vaccinated visitors from Travel Partner countries without the need for costly and cumbersome quarantine stay periods.

Fiji will be opening up to visitors who have received double doses of the Astra-Zeneca, Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, the UAE, the USA,  New Zealand, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, French Polynesia, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

The Care Fiji Commitment is a WHO-approved standard of best-practice health and safety measures that has been adopted across the Fijian tourism industry and applies to accommodation, activity operators and transfers.

Wellness Ambassadors are employed to ensure COVID-safe protocols and managed, monitored and adhered to, that staff are trained correctly and to help ensure visitor safety.

All Care Fiji certified and approved businesses employ 100% vaccinated staff and personnel, and the majority of major hotels and tourism operators have already been certified and approved.

Care Fiji Commitment certified facilities provide visitors access to the highest standard of health and safety, including access to isolation facilities, medical care and testing, while ensuring routine staff swab testing and having escalation protocols in place in the event of any positive cases.

Visitors to Fiji must have a minimum three-night accommodation booking in place at a Care Fiji Commitment facility prior to arrival, and will also be required to undertake a mandatory rapid COVID-19 test 48 hours after arrival at their hotel, to activate the careFIJI contact tracing app and to avoid travel to communities in low vaccination areas.

Visitors arriving in Fiji from non-Travel Partner countries are required to quarantine for a period of 10 days at a Managed Hotel Quarantine Facility.

Alternatively, visitors from non-Travel Partner countries wanting to holiday in Fiji can reduce their quarantine time by transiting and staying in a Travel Partner country for 10 days immediately prior to arrival in Fiji and can then enter the country with a confirmed three-night booking at a Care Fiji Commitment hotel or resort.

Other travel requirements remain the same as those in place for Travel Partner country visitors, including showing proof of full vaccination with a Fiji recognised vaccine and fulfilment of all testing requirements prior to and upon arrival.

Fiji’s high vaccination rate and strict adherence to COVID-safe measures help to ensure that it remains one of the safest places to visit and enjoy a well-earned and long-awaited holiday.

Fiji is doing everything possible to keep tourists and locals safe and can’t wait to welcome back visitors from around the world.