Visiting gentle Yasur
By Len Garae. Photos: Kersom Richard The closure of borders has seen many Pacific islanders explore their own backyards. For more than one hundred of Vanuatu’s senior public servants, this year’s National Week of
Tourism
Fiji ready to welcome international tourists
Fiji tourism operators are deep in preparations to welcome international visitors back to the tourism-dependent nation. Fiji has announced the opening of borders to Australia, New Zealand, United States of America,
Wish you were here: Pacific islands travel destinations inch towards reopening
Just a few months ago, whether travellers to the Pacific would need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 was still a matter of debate. But that discussion has moved as quickly as the Delta variant, and it now seems fait
Wish you were here: Tourism inches closer to relaunch
Just a few months ago, whether travellers to the Pacific would need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 was still a matter of debate. But that discussion has moved as quickly as the Delta variant, and it now seems fait
Tourists trickle into Micronesia
By Bernadette Carreon Palau’s cautious return to tourism this year is being closely watched by its neighbours as it has had to respond to fluctuating case numbers in its tourism source markets. Palau slowly reopened
COVID behind Fiji economy’s ‘severe recession’, but ratings agency predicts economy to start recovering next year
COVID-related restrictions and a relatively large fiscal deficit has prompted S&P Global to lower its rating of the Fiji economy from BB-minus to B+, although it expects the Fiji economy to recover next year.
We need art now more than ever
The cultural and creative sectors are among the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For many artists in Fiji, this means many are relying on one meal a day and doing what they can to plant and grow food for
No progress on Fiji bubble until COVID is controlled: Australia
Australia’s Minister for International Development and the Pacific says Australia will want to see COVID cases under control in Fiji before any commitment can be made on a travel bubble. When Fiji’s Minister for
Economist says Guam’s economic future remains unpredictable
Guam’s post-lockdown economic activity may have returned to “some semblance of normalcy or some notion of what it was before,” but unpredictable variables are clouding the long-term outlook for the island, Bank of
Cook Is revises policies to ease labour gaps
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration rolled out changes to its immigration policies on Monday in a bid to ease labour skills shortages in the Cook Islands. Easing health checks for workers wanting to come in
“We have been lagging behind quite poorly”
In 2020 as shops and markets all over the world were forced to close due to the coronavirus, people shopped from home, with e-commerce seeing exponential growth in many markets. And the trend will continue. Online
ADB predicts modest growth for Pacific economies this year
The Asian Development Bank expects Pacific Island economies to return to positive growth this year, although at different rates, and with a great deal riding on successful vaccine roll-outs. Pacific economies contracted
Palau travel bubble hits a snag
By Bernadette H. Carreon The travel bubble between Taiwan and Palau is in danger of popping following low interest from Taiwanese tourists to take a holiday from a year of COVID-19 border restrictions.
Palau travel bubble hits a snag
The travel bubble between Taiwan and Palau is in danger of popping following low interest from Taiwanese tourists to take a holiday from a year of COVID-19 border restrictions. In an effort to revitalise
Palau welcomes tourists, Cook Is still waiting
Quarantine free trouble has begun between Palau and Taiwan with the arrival of Palau’s first inbound tourism flight since March last year. Palau’s President, Surangel Whipps, Jr. returned to Palau from Taiwan on
Local produce, local menus
When 116 farmers in Fiji’s western division received ‘Cash for Cultivation’ from the government, Agriculture Minister Dr Mahendra Reddy told them: “We want the demand for vegetables, fresh produce,
Fiji business briefs: BSP, Pleass, Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association
Bank of South Pacific (BSP) plans to list on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). BSP has given notice of its intention to change its constitution to allow for dual listing in Australia as well as its current
Opinion: The road to a Pacific Island economic recovery requires regional solutions
A step up in engagement by the Australian and New Zealand governments, combined with regional and international economic support over the past year, has cushioned the initial blow of Covid-19. Moving forward,
Bleak prospects for Pacific tourism
Pacific island countries should not expect international travel to resume in earnest until late 2021, travel and aviation experts have warned. ‘You should forget the US market for 2021, as well as Europe and the
Fiji optimistic of growth as economic decline persists
Fiji’s central bank is projecting the country’s economic growth to climb back into positive territory next year, after revising this year’s historic contraction to negative 19 percent from an earlier estimate of
The World’s toughest race: How can Fiji win
When World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji first screened earlier this year, international audiences vicariously took a road less travelled. The competition, which pitted 66 teams across 671 kilometres,
Jobless numbers soar in Fiji
Unscripted and unplanned, Fijians have returned quietly to the land and the sea over the past months as the impacts of job losses brought about by the COVID19 pandemic began to bite. In the tourism belts of Nadi and