Fiji’s door is open but not certain how many Kiwis will return

Fiji is ready to welcome Kiwis back in March but the home isolation requirement means it’s unclear how strong demand will be.

Before the pandemic, more than 200,000 New Zealanders went there a year and
from mid-March will be able to re-enter New Zealand and skip MIQ although will have to self-isolate for seven to 10 days.

Since the Government here last week announced border restrictions would be relaxed there had been a surge of interest in Fiji, according to its tourist agency.

Sonya Lawson, regional director NZ, Tourism Fiji, said while its website had attracted a spike in views and travel agents here had reported a rush of inquiries, it was difficult to tell how many would book.

”I’m not sure at this stage what the conversion level of there will be but to have inquiry is exciting for us. I think being realistic there could also be some hesitancy from New Zealand consumers. ”

Fiji opened to tourists last December and Australians had flocked to the country when quarantine rules were relaxed across the Tasman. Most were staying longer than before the pandemic and there were many doing multi-generation trips as families wanted to spend time together, especially if they had been kept apart because of state lockdowns.

Lawson said it was hard to gauge how Kiwis would view overseas travel but there was pent up demand after two years of closed borders.

” I think there’ll definitely be a lot of early adopters and people who do take the opportunity to get across to Fiji and travel internationally as soon as they possibly can.”

Lawson said it was understandable people were staying longer when they travel as they had gone through pre-departure testing and other new requirements to get there.

In the new travel environment, they would more likely view holidays as more of a treat rather than a commodity.

The country has been hard hit by Covid with more than 800 deaths but case numbers are falling and close to 93 per cent of the population is double vaccinated. Fiji is heavily reliant on tourism and although hotels and resorts had been near empty for 18 months the tourist infrastructure was in good shape.

”Some of the resorts up there didn’t close through this whole period. They’ve remained open. So you’ll find that all the favourites are still there,” she said.

It is expected that Kiwis will start travelling first to short-haul destinations such as Australia and the Pacific. Point to point flying would be popular and Lawson said Fiji, just a three hour non-stop flight ticked boxes for Kiwis who found it familiar and comfortable.

Fiji Airways has six flights a week in its schedule from mid-March while Air New Zealand, which is re-jigging its international network in response to demand for the meantime just has one flight a week listed on its website.

Visitors over 18 must be double vaccinated, anyone over 12 must produce a negative test within 48 hours of arrival – now a rapid antigen test for visitors from travel partner countries such as New Zealand. When they arrive stay for the first three days in a Care Fiji Commitment property – internationally health certified hotels and resorts – during which time they are able to go on approved tours, excursions and experiences.

Strict health protocols are important to rebuild confidence.

”We’re travelling in a new world. The fact this commitment has been tried and tested and that it’s there and it’s really robust can help Kiwis feel confident and comfortable about travelling.”

She said the Fiji government had dropped some taxes and this would help keep a lid on prices.

”There’s going to be some initial incentives for people to travel there. But the product out there is quality and I don’t think we’re going to they don’t need to reduce the prices significantly. But they’re also not going to hike them,” said Lawson.

She said pre-pandemic Fiji was New Zealanders’ third most popular destination behind Australia and the United States.