As of Labor Day, international travelers will have fewer hoops through which to jump when visiting Fiji; they are no longer required to present negative COVID-19 test results or provide proof of test bookings.
Additionally, the island nation has discontinued the Entry Test Fiji portal, which had previously mandated a rapid antigen test (RAT) within 48 to 72 hours of arrival. The country has also reduced the isolation period for people who test positive for the virus from seven to five days.
This is obviously good news for travelers and Fijian tourism alike, but it falls short of a complete return to normal.
People traveling to Fiji will still need to show proof of vaccination and travel insurance, wear masks inside Fijian airports and undergo testing when they develop COVID-19 symptoms.
Each week, demand continues to grow, and Australian sales are now higher than they were in 2019. Fiji Airways is currently offering two flights per day from Sydney and daily flights from both Brisbane and Melbourne.
All in all, it’s looking like Fijian tourism is nearly out of the woods. Tourism Fiji’s CEO, Brent Hill, spoke optimistically about the ease in restrictions, citing an “82% recovery from pre-pandemic levels” and a “record number of visitors in July.”
Other travel destinations have been more reluctant to welcome visitors, especially Asian countries. To travel to Japan, for example, U.S. passport holders who need to visit the country for business must obtain a visa, and the country remains closed to tourists.
More and more countries are returning to normal, but it’s unclear when COVID-19 travel restrictions will be a thing of the past.