I’ve said in the past that it’s interesting to see the “unique” ways different countries begin to reopen to others. Some countries are using travel bubbles and air bridges. Cuba is dividing its country so tourists and residents don’t mix. Tanzania opened its doors to everyone, no questions asked.
Fiji came up with its own “different” idea.
Fiji relies on tourism for a lot of its gross national product. Like, 40% of it. They usually get visitors from all around the world but about half of their visitors are from Australia (who is still only in the planning stages of forming travel bubbles), followed by New Zealand (same) and the United States (*cough* nobody wants us to visit and who can blame them *cough*).
So what do you do when you’re trying to recoup such large losses to your revenue in the shorter term?
You recruit billionaires.
Prime Minister Josaia “Frank” Voreqe Bainimarama is offering an open invitation to billionaires who want to get away from it all.
From Twitter:
“So, say you’re a billionaire looking to fly your own jet, rent your own island, and invest millions of dollars in Fiji in the process–– if you’ve taken all the necessary health precautions and borne all associated costs, you may have a new home to escape the pandemic in paradise.“
The 300-island archipelago has also started an initiative called “Blue Lanes” to welcome tourists who would rather arrive via yacht. Also from Twitter:
attn: Yachters looking to escape the pandemic in paradise – Fiji’s opening #BlueLanes to welcome you back to our waters. – Pass a #COVID19 test before departure – Spend 14 days at sea (or make up the balance in quarantine on arrival), and clear a health screening – Enjoy Fiji!
I guess you’ve gotta have some nerve to write something like this but hey you know what? It worked. About 30 people from “a very well-known company” will soon be arriving in Fiji by private plane before taking a seaplane to their final destination island.
And then they’ll stay there for 3 months. As one does.
“From our perspective, this is a balancing between managing our health risks [ETA: Fiji has had a total 18 cases of COVID-19] and also opening up the economic pathways; it’s critically important to do that,” Fiji’s Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said during a national budget consultation.
Sayed-Khaiyum also suggested that Fiji would be happy to have television and movie crews, provided they followed the country’s COVID quarantine protocols.
Fiji’s pretty smart 🙂
H/T: CNN
#stayhealthy #staysafe #washyourhands
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
2 comments
Fiji is also very beautiful-I thought Fiji and Tonga just as nice as the higher priced Bora Bora and Moorea when I visited. I’d gladly go back to Fiji-much more affordable. I was lucky enough to visit Dravuni Island which only has 200 people living there for the day and one of the best soft coral snorkeling areas in the world.
I’m not so sure that advertising that people can buy their way into your country in such a blatant manner is really a good idea. If the country is that venal, I make it a point to stay away.