Tourism Fiji is getting ready for opening up with a potential Australia/Fiji bubble on the cards, in addition to unveiling a new tourism safety plan The Care Fiji Commitment program aimed at helping reassure travellers that the tropical destination is safe to visit when travel restrictions are lifted.
The Care Fiji Commitment program is designed to reassure travellers that Fiji is a safe destination to visit on their next holiday and has been developed in consultation with stakeholders from the tourism industry, through the Tourism Recovery Team and endorsed by the COVID-19 Risk Mitigation Taskforce and Ministry of Health and Medical Services, the programme will play a significant role in Tourism Fiji’s market re-entry plans.
Since the declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, Fiji has made health and safety its priority, with due to Fiji’s quick and effective response to COVID-19, Fiji has been able to contain the virus from a very early stage, and its effective containment measures meant Fiji was able to officially declare itself COVID-contained on 5 June 2020.
Minister for Commerce, Tourism, Trade and Transport, Honourable Faiyaz Koya said, “The Care Fiji Commitment is our obligation to the health and safety of everyone who lives and travels to Fiji.”
“We are working together as one, across the tourism and health sectors, to fight COVID with a number of measures that help us to adapt to a new normal and get us ready to welcome international travellers back. When our borders fully re-open, it is essential that consumers recognise and are reassured that not only is Fiji the best destination, but also the safest ”.
The Care Fiji Commitment ensures an aligned communication platform for how Fiji communicates and demonstrate its health and safety credentials and COVID-19 management protocols to both local and international visitors, with businesses invited to join the programme, making a commitment to adopting the Fijian Government’s COVID-19 Safe Guidelines, through the nomination of a Wellness Ambassador who will complete a training programme, create an action plan and train tourism frontliners on best practice COVID-19 mitigation.
Upon completion, Tourism Businesses can then access the Care Fiji Commitment tools and resources that can be displayed at their business, with through the Care Fiji Commitment, the following mitigation measures will be highlighted to potential travellers:
- Best practice COVID-19 mitigation measures across the tourism industry;
- Border restrictions to protect Fiji, its people and its visitors;
- Visitors from COVID-contained countries and territories can enter Fiji without quarantine;
- Border restrictions for other travellers with 14-day mandatory quarantine;
- In-flight – Fiji Airways ‘Travel Ready’ on-board wellness programme;
- At the airport – Nadi International following international airport protocols;
- During your holiday – Fiji tourism business’s upholding best practice standards and operating under COVID safe guidelines;
- Destination-wide COVID-19 health and hygiene policies;
- Enhanced sanitation practices across all tourism businesses;
- Physical distancing practices in place;
- Contact tracing protocols in place;
- Case identification process in place;
- Frontline staff trained in COVID-19 safe practices;
- Frontliners have undertaken a COVID Safe training programme developed by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services and Tourism Fiji;
- A Wellness Ambassador at each business dedicated to implementing COVID-19 safe practices;
- Globally recognised control and mitigation measures;
- Testing and surveillance processes aligned with WHO recommendations;
- Local testing available for COVID-19 at the Fiji Centre for Disease Control using the gold standard method for COVID-19 testing;
- WHO accredited isolation facilities in place;
- Clear procedures in place for suspected cases;
- Dedicated drop-in fever clinics across Fiji for concerned visitors showing symptoms;
- Dedicated COVID hotline;
- CareFIJI contact tracing app;
- Downloadable smartphone app for contact tracing;
- Added layer of security for visitors that any contact with a COVID-19 case will be quickly and seamlessly identified;
- Everyone planning a trip to Fiji will also be asked to be responsible for the wellbeing of the country and commit to the programme;
- Postponing any travel if they feel unwell;
- Undertaking a test prior to travel;
- Downloading the CareFiji app;
- Adhering to all social distancing, sanitisation and face mask regulations, where required; and
- Tourism Fiji will communicate the Care Fiji Commitment across its international source markets to anyone that is considering booking a trip to Fiji once the borders are opened.
Outgoing to the Sunshine Coast, Tourism Fiji Chief Executive Officer, Mr Matthew Stoeckel said, “Our visitors’ health and wellbeing are our top priority.”
“We know safety is top of mind for travellers and we aim to reassure them to choose Fiji for their next holiday with confidence through the Care Fiji Commitment.”
“Many people aren’t aware of the incredible job Fiji has done to contain the virus.”
“The Care Fiji Commitment is an effective way to communicate this information to our potential visitors and help them to understand what measures are in place to keep them safe within the destination”.
“It is a programme that will only be successful through the support of our industry, and I ask each and every business in Fiji to take the Care Fiji Commitment and work with us to get ready for our international visitors”.
Industry members who are interested in being part of the Care Fiji Commitment programme should register their interest here.
A report by John Alwyn-Jones
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