Tourism Fiji wants the tourism and hospitality sector to know about a new campaign designed to reassure travellers that Fiji is a safe to visit.
What is Care Fiji Commitment?
Dubbed ‘Care Fiji Commitment‘ the program is viewed as a crucial ingredient to Tourism Fiji’s market re-entry plans.
“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,” said Tourism Fiji CEO, Matthew Stoeckel.
“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”.
Fiji prioritised health and safety ever since the coronavirus pandemic was declared in March and its effective containment measures saw the Pacific Island officially declared “COVID-contained” in early June.
“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,” Fiji’s Minister for Commerce, Tourism, Trade and Transport, Faiyaz Koya said.
“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,” Koya commented.
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.
Fiji Tourism invites businesses around the island nation to join the program and commit to the Fijian Government’s COVID-19 Safe Guidelines. This involves establishing an action plan and training tourism frontliners on best practice COVID-19 mitigation. Once completed, tourism businesses will be able to access the Care Fiji Commitment tools and resources which can be displayed to show their involvement.
Care Fiji Commitment Roadshow
This week, Tourism Fiji executives divided and conquered, splitting into teams and covering seven regions of Fiji to educate suppliers on the initiative.
Emma Campbell, Tourism Fiji’s Director of Marketing, presented the Fiji Care Commitment at a training roadshow held in Denarau earlier this week. They encouraged the 120 attendees to formulate their own COVID-19 action plans.
“We may not know when our borders will open, but I feel confident that when we do, Fiji’s tourism industry will be more than ready to safely welcome visitors back,” Campbell said.
Meanwhile, James Pridgeon, Tourism Fiji’s Chief Operating Officer, headed a group in Suva to deliver training to the organisation’s Pacific Harbour and Suva based tourism operators.
Mitigation measures of the Care Fiji Commitment include:
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Border restrictions to protect Fiji, its people and its visitors
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Visitors from COVID-contained countries and territories can enter Fiji without quarantine
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Border restrictions for other travellers with 14-day mandatory quarantine
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Best practice COVID-19 mitigation measures across the tourism industry
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In-flight – Fiji Airways ‘Travel Ready’ on-board wellness programme
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At the airport – Nadi International following international airport protocols
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During your holiday – Fiji tourism business’s upholding best practice standards and operating under COVID safe guidelines
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Destination-wide COVID-19 health and hygiene policies
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Enhanced sanitation practices across all tourism businesses
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Physical distancing practices in place
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Contact tracing protocols in place
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Case identification process in place
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Frontline staff trained in COVID-19 safe practices
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Our frontliners have undertaken a COVID Safe training programme developed by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services and Tourism Fiji
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A Wellness Ambassador at each business dedicated to implementing COVID-19 safe practices
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Globally recognised control and mitigation measures
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Testing and surveillance processes aligned with WHO recommendations
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Local testing available for COVID-19 at the Fiji Centre for Disease Control using the gold standard method for COVID-19 testing
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WHO accredited isolation facilities in place
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Clear procedures in place for suspected cases
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Dedicated drop-in fever clinics across Fiji for concerned visitors showing symptoms
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Dedicated COVID hotline
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careFiji contact tracing app
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Downloadable smartphone app for contact tracing
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Added layer of security for visitors that any contact with a COVID-19 case will be quickly and seamlessly identified.
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Everyone planning a trip to Fiji will also be asked to be responsible for the wellbeing of the country and commit to the programme
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Postponing any travel if they feel unwell
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Undertaking a test prior to travel
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Downloading the careFiji app
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Adhering to all social distancing, sanitisation and face mask regulations, where required.
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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.
Lead image: Tourism Fiji’s Emma Campbell, Director of Marketing flanked by Marketing Officers, Salman Alfazand and Kiara Kumar.
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