“BULA!” from across the pool with a fruit Cocktail, from down by the Lagoon with the catch of the day, from Nau with her Kids Club tots in tow, and from up the coconut tree picking the day’s Coconut Water. All while your eyes are closed and feet up on that beach chair – “BULA!” can transport you to your last holiday, and have you planning for the next, we definitely are!
After months of hunkering down during Lockdowns, adapting to difficult changes in life as we know it, and mass loss of jobs that saw some of the Nation’s most desperate times; we’re excited to join in the move of getting it all back. Our Tourism industry has made changes to meet requirements of today’s Travel and Tourism – post Covid, ensuring we take our best shot at normalcy. In this piece, we bring to you Fiji Tourism’s New Normal.
Care Fiji Commitment
The Care Fiji Commitment is an assurance to the traveling public, that tourism operators have adopted Covid-safe practices in alignment with World Travel Tourist Council/WTTC. Led by Tourism Fiji, the industry have aligned through this commitment to secure a Safe Travel zone - from the Airport if you’re flying in from your part of our islands, to your hotel, and during your stay.
Like the current Tourism Fiji marketing campaign, the Care Fiji Commitment is our Best Shot at Travel. With Vaccination rates reaching desirable levels in Fiji, we are looking forward to safely enjoying our beautiful home again.
So what exactly is the Care Fiji Commitment?
From Social Distancing, Sanitizing regularly, keeping the Care Fiji app activated (to name a few); the Care Fiji Commitment defines a set of rules to ensure visitors and workers can interact safely.
The most impactful measure in this commitment is the 100% Staff Vaccination guarantee for all workforces in Fiji. Piloting the move towards a Safer Fiji in this Covid-19 pandemic, the Tourism industry were among the first groups to attain complete staff vaccination rates.
Look out for this stamp when deciding where to travel First!
For more Information Visit www.carefijicommitment.com
Social Distancing
At member properties, you will find Social Distancing signages as reminders to maintain a 2m distance from the next person, and floor markers to help you do just that. These assets are prominent, and are carefully branded (we might add) making the experience seamless just for you! The staff are trained in the Covid-safe protocols, and are dedicated to your well-being during your stay. After eagerly waiting for months, and for some - years, you can bet they are ready to welcome you with every care and security.
Hotels may also reduce rooming occupancy to help achieve Social Distancing throughout the property, and manageable visitor numbers in the spirit of this rule. So at any one time, your interaction with other guests (at non-peak times) could be none at all. In fact, on our last holiday, we’re convinced that we had a 5-star hotel to ourselves at half the price!
Sun, Sea, and Stillness at the Fiji Marriot Resort Momi Bay
Image by Fiji Marriot Resort Momi Bay
Masks
Like all of Fiji, the tourism industry is also big on masks. For most hotels, it’s how you get in or not, alongside your Care Fiji app.
As for the famous Bula! this rite of passage just got louder and more fervent (believe it or not), a grand reminder that behind those masks is a big beautiful smile you can still see!
Wearing a mask outside of your hotel room is an absolute must, especially around other guests and staff. Like any good holiday, what should’ve been a short walk to the next room could become a beach lunch and evening drinks with some newly found friends. Don’t miss out! At the beach wear a mask if you can help it, or switch to our personal favorite - the rubber variant for some underwater mingling and fun! Malamala Beach Club Fiji said it best - Our kind of Face Masks.
"Our kind of Face Masks"
Sanitize
From when you pull up, and on your first interaction, we can bet you a free Sanitizer that you’d get these 2 things:
1. a Welcome (alcohol free) drink to acclimatize;
2. and a Welcome (alcohol saturated) spritz to sanitize.
Yes Please!
Between check-in, your room and lounging areas such as bars and restaurants, you’ll find sanitizing stations. Some hotels have included sanitizers in your bathroom kit, making those charming spiffy kits even more valuable and travel ready for you.
One of our personal favorites – Pure Fiji, in their commitment to our New Normal, now retail hand sanitizers in Vanilla Coconut and Peppermint Infusion (why did we taste that?).
Good news for the foodies! At current rates, Hotels are offering free to an all-time low meal plans with your room; and each time we check out what’s new in the market, there’s even more to try out and feast our eyes on (for now). Remember to sanitize or wash your hands thoroughly before you eat.
Image by Pure Fiji
The Care Fiji App
The Care Fiji app is a tracing application developed by the Fiji Government, to help identify contacts of a Covid-19 positive.
The app logs a user’s location and proximity to other users; and advices you (through your mobile number) if you have interacted with a user who has tested positive for Covid-19. By registering your phone number, you are awarded a unique identifier, and can be reached by the Ministry of Health for tracing purposes (only).
As R&R fanatics, with a handy tool such as the Care Fiji app, we can definitely kick back and relax on that beach chair with one less (Covid) thought on our sun kissed minds.
See you all soon!