What you need to know about travel to Fiji: PCR tests and health protocols
Tourists have been welcomed back with open arms, but travellers need to be aware of the steps required to get there.
It is the unravelling of cares and concerns that a resort holiday, and an overseas one at that, allows. That first ripple of calm comes the other side of Immigration; there’s no turning back.
But lying in a thatched-roof cabana at Natadola Bay in Fiji, with a white beach and South Pacific before me and an afternoon breeze rendering conditions perfect, worries of the past two years ebb with the tide. The water stretches to the horizon in bands of blue from light turquoise to navy, a horse ambles past, a boat of six villagers heads out to catch a meal. I’ll read a little, ponder and snooze on this first day of summer.
I am staying at InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa on the main island of Viti Levu, 45 minutes from Nadi international airport, close to the start of the Coral Coast on the road to Suva. I have arrived on the first Fiji Airways flight from Sydney in 20 months carrying fully vaccinated and Covid-tested tourists. Strict health protocols are in place (see More to the Story), but the Bula greeting at the airport is magnificently warm and boisterous. Singers and dancers fill the terminal, people line the road from the airport waving flags and signs of welcome and shouting Bula. At long last in life, I feel like a rock star.
On the flight are Australian families and couples, including honeymooners, heading to resorts on Fiji’s 333 islands. They are mindful of the uncertainties posed by Covid, but today are chuffed to be overseas again with nothing more on the itinerary than to escape stress. The Laurie family of Coogee in Sydney are typical: they’re off to idyllic Castaway Island for 10 days to unwind, romp in the pool and snorkel. Parents Nicole and Gary say they want time with their children Jett and Indiana away from lockdowns, homeschooling and forever being in front of a screen.
At the InterContinental, when the energetic mood arrives, there’s snorkelling in the lagoon formed by a coral reef and swimming in three pools. My favourite is the infinity, which appears seamlessly to join the ocean, and is well located near Toba Bar, where the reward for a few lazy laps may be a Big Ratu, a cocktail based on locally distilled spicy rum with ginger beer and orange.
On December 17 the 18-hole championship golf course reopens. The view from the refurbished clubhouse and most of the course is over the magic coastline while the other holes overlook the lush green island interior. Afterwards, check out the therapy menu at the resort spa, where a facial massage revitalises me and restores lost decades, it feels.
The resort is set on 14ha of tropical grounds with layout and architecture inspired by a Fijian outer island village; that means high ceilings and open, breezy spaces. My beachfront suite, Bure 1115, has a dreamy king-size bed, separate living and dining area, spacious bathroom stocked with Pure Fiji products and a private terrace, with tub and daybed, opening on to a palm-fringed lawn and beach. It’s the ideal spot to catch spectacular sunsets over water.
While there are several dining options, my favourite is Navo, adjacent to the beach, where the mango, papaya, pineapple and passionfruit served at breakfast are tropical sensations and a local Yasawa lobster the winner for dinner.
The walk back to my bure is through gardens of flowering frangipani, ixora and hibiscus. Running through the property are the narrow-gauge tracks of quaint trains that once serviced sugar plantations.
Much rides on the successful reopening to visitors for Fiji, where the full vaccination rate is more than 90 per cent of adults. Tourism fuels 40 per cent of GDP and 120,000 hospitality workers lost their jobs after the borders were shut in March 2020.
Many of the indefatigably cheerful and efficient staff at the InterContinental share the same story: when laid off they returned to their villages and a subsistence lifestyle. In a country where family bonds are strong, access to land for crops and raising animals, and the sea for fishing ensures survival. The “silver lining” is that many younger people have learned traditional skills they might otherwise have missed.
On reopening day, InterContinental area general manager South Pacific, Lachlan Walker, sits on the floor in traditional manner with owners of the land on which the resort is built, religious leaders, staff and villagers, for a ceremony of thanksgiving and dedication. I am welcomed and offered a bowl of kava to seal the deal.
The chief executive of Tourism Fiji, Brent Hill, is cautiously optimistic that with health safeguards in place Fiji is in for a boom. Early estimates of 120,000 visitors by next July look set to be smashed, with 70,000 bookings through December-January alone. But, Hill says, while Fiji is “top of the pops” and has stolen a march on destinations such as Bali and Thailand, it will need to stay the course.
“Our best marketing is people going home safely and saying they’ve had a great time,” he says.
A simple belief sums up the Fijian spirit: Expect clouds to come and then expect the sun to come after. How splendid to be here for the new dawn.
More to the story
A Fiji break is rewarding, but there’s essential preparation to ensure it is safe.
Before departure
• Download from Medicare on the myGov site an international Covid vaccination certificate. This is not the proof of vaccination used domestically.
• Buy and have proof of travel insurance that covers Covid medical costs. Not all policies do. I go with Medibank.
• Take an international travel Covid test not more than 72 hours before departure and carry certificate of proof. This needs to be booked with a pathology clinic and is not part of free testing (mine cost $145, but a colleague pays $70).
• Pre-book a stay of at least three nights at a Care-Fiji certified hotel or resort (with fully vaccinated staff) and airport transfer to that property.
• Download the careFIJI app for scanning to allow access to public places, much as in Australia.
After arrival
• Take a rapid Covid test at 48 hours. Many certified hotels have set up in-house clinics for this, which charge way below Australian rates. In this period, visitors are to stay around the resort (not hard) or go on day trips, say, with certified operators, of which there are hundreds. The use of masks is expected and room service may not be available for the first two days. No paper menus in restaurants.
Before return home
•Take a full PCR Covid test 72 hours before your flight back (again, many resorts will arrange this).
• Complete an Australian Travel Declaration at least 72 hours – but not more than seven days – before the flight. Available by downloading the Australian government ATD app, this should be assessed quickly. But don’t leave filing it until the last moment; it takes time to complete.
Back home
Check state requirements, but only flights to NSW and Victoria are being operated and passengers from Fiji to Sydney and Melbourne are required to self-isolate for 72 hours, taking free Covid tests within 24 hours of arrival and six days after. This may change according to government decisions.
In the know
Fiji Airways, which code-shares with Qantas, operates twice-daily flights from Sydney to Nadi (four hours) and a daily flight from Melbourne (five hours), and will resume a daily flight from Brisbane. Its fleet includes the state-of-the-art Airbus A350-900. The airline is offering special welcome back deals and holiday packages.
Graham Erbacher was a guest of Fiji Airways and InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa.