Devpolicy Blog 15 February 2021 – Across the world – including here in the Pacific region – countries are now beginning to look at how to ease travel restrictions that were put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19. As vaccines roll out, international travel begins to resume between Australia and New Zealand and discussions of a ‘Pacific Bubble’ continue to be floated, it is time to consider how and when the region could reopen.
The stakes are high. The travel restrictions that have been in place across the Pacific have been effective, sparing the region from larger coronavirus outbreaks. Continuing to avoid outbreaks will continue to be essential for the region, particularly given relatively weak health systems and high rates of pre-existing health conditions among Pacific populations, any large outbreaks could have devastating implications.
Yet there’s no escaping that the economic impacts of the pandemic have already been heavily felt across the region. World Bank economic modelling indicates that all Pacific economies are expected to have contracted in 2020, particularly those reliant on tourism – such as Fiji, which is facing an expected baseline reduction in GDP of around 19% in 2020.
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Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association
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