Wayfarer TV: Fiji drops all testing requirements for inbound travellers
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.”
Book a seat in Fiji Airways’ brilliant Business Class cabin
Fiji Airways flies to the nation’s largest city of Nadi from Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Christchurch, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Melbourne, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Vancouver (coming soon), Wellington and across the South Pacific.
The flights are operated by Fiji Airways’ world class fleet, which includes the flagship Airbus A350-900, headlined by the carrier’s all-new Business Class that features flatbed seats with all-aisle access.
Onboard Fiji Airways flights at the pointy end, expect top food and wine, particularly thanks to the new Business class menu from renowned Kiwi-Fijian chef Richard Cross, fantastic entertainment (including Wayfarer TV episodes!), a sleeper service for overnight flights and some of the world’s best onboard service.
In economy class, passengers can upgrade their journey with some additional benefits such as the My Bubble and My Island seating arrangements allow passengers to purchase an extra seat or row respectively in economy for extra space and comfort. My Island comes with a mattress topper, Business class pillow, additional blanket and seat belt extension.
Travellers onboard all services will enjoy the award-winning Fijian hospitality and travel perks including increased baggage allowance from 23kg to 30kg for economy class passengers on all international flights and a complementary ‘Our Ocean Our Life’ in-flight activity pack for kids.
Fiji Airways recently announced the launch of Vancouver flights, which commence on November 25, and alongside the new services, Fiji Airways’ CEO, Andre Viljoen, has bigger plans for the company, including doubling Los Angeles and upping San Francisco flights, adding extra Airbus A350 XWB aircraft and continuing to up the onboard food and beverage ante.
The plans come alongside soaring performance for Fiji Airways, with the carrier reporting phenomenal forward bookings in 2023 that are already ahead of 2019’s solid numbers.
To find out the latest, Wayfarer Host and Editor-In-Chief, James Wilkinson, spoke exclusively on camera to Viljoen at Nadi Airport recently.
Fiji Airways will fly direct to and from Vancouver twice a week on Mondays and Fridays from November 25 and Viljoen told Wayfarer services could be increased on the back of demand.