To recuperate from the losses brought by the pandemic, Fiji is now proposing a “travel bubble”. Fiji hopes to welcome visitors from virus-free countries to revive its economy. Due to the pandemic, thousands of Fijans were left without work, as Yahoo News details:
The Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association (FHTA) says even that figure underestimates the industry's influence, putting it closer to 60 percent once related jobs are factored in.
In many communities, tourism has provided a lifeline for decades, helping the economy survive coups, natural disasters and the decline of the sugar and garment sectors.
Hopes for a quick recovery now rest on the creation of a "travel bubble" that would bring holidaymakers from nearly virus-free Australia and New Zealand. Those two countries supply about 70 percent of traffic to Fiji, general manager of the Treasure Island resort Jim Saukuru told AFP.
"The tourism industry is zero," he said. "To make things viable for our industry, Australia and New Zealand need to open up."
Officials in Canberra and Wellington have already opened discussions on a quarantine-free bubble across the two countries, to capitalise on their success in containing the virus, with plans to eventually expand it to include Pacific island nations.
image via Yahoo News