Fiji opens borders international borders ready for December tourism restart

Fiji is number one on Australia's Christmas wish list. Photo / Supplied, Tourism Fiji

Fiji has reopened its borders after over 18 months of Covid-related travel restrictions.

The hard border closure is being lifted ahead of a travel general restart with approved 'Travel Partner Countries, including New Zealand.

In just two weeks vaccinated international tourists will be permitted to enter the country, from 1 December.

Health Secretary James Fong said today's changes were part of "transitioning Border Quarantine Protocols to Border Risk Reduction Protocol for all travellers."

While Fijian residents and approved foreign nationals are permitted to re-enter the country from today, there will be a few changes to entering the country for leisure.

For international travellers "this will involve a three-day stay in a hotel with a test to be done on day 2. A negative result will allow for discharge into the community on day 3," said Fong.

Tourists entering Fiji will have to be fully vaccinated and booked into one of the approved "Care Fiji Commitment"(CFC) approved partner hotels. It will not be possible for the

Tourism Fiji says that these safety protocols will have little impact on the visitor experience, and travellers are free to visit restaurants or take day-trip excursions "as long as the property or experience is CFC approved".

Once they have completed the initial three-day period, they would be free to go anywhere in Fiji.

"Nearly every hotel and tour operator in Fiji is following Care Fiji Commitment protocols and Fiji Airways has achieved the highest possible COVID-19 Safety Rating with their Travel Ready program," said a statement from Tourism Fiji.

"As of mid-October, 85 per cent of adults in Fiji are now fully vaccinated, allowing us to be able to now welcome travellers again to our beautiful country from 1st December, 2021."

Once presented with their negative test, there are still a few restrictions on regular movement in the islands.

Parts of the islands are still subject to a curfew with visitors told to stay in resorts between the hours of 11pm and 4am. Tourists will also be told to avoid areas of low vaccination takeup. A map of these areas will be published at the end of this month.

However, these guidelines have not dented the appetite for a return to Fiji. Forward leading indicators show that the islands are number one destination for travel-starved Australians, with 66 per cent of outbound flights in December being booked to Fiji.

Fiji Airways is returning with direct flights from Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington next month.

However, with three weeks to go, the uptake compared to Australia is not clear given the restrictions still in place for returning New Zealanders.

Pent up demand and unspent travel savings have shown that bookings are overwhelmingly for luxury-end properties and group bookings. Two thirds of bookings were for five-star accommodation, and just over half were by families looking at Castaway Island, Yanuca Island, Mana Island and Momi island properties.

"The trends we've seen in Australia have been more than we could have hoped and it's getting everyone really excited," said Tourism Fiji CEO Brent Hill.