News

The cruise industry is slowly recovering after a year of virtually no sailing, and cruise operators have been announcing their plans for restarts. Cruise Industry News has gathered everything we currently know about the following 10 lines’ plans, representing various niche, premium and regional brands.  Ponant Ponant is planning to recommence operations in […]

With high hopes weighing on a two-way travel bubble between Cook Islands and New Zealand by March 31, local accommodation providers are ready to welcome visitors to the island paradise of Rarotonga. Local resorts are gearing up for the much-anticipated two-way travel bubble with New Zealand expected to be implemented […]

Air New Zealand will be operating daily return flights to Rarotonga from March 28 in anticipation of the two-way travel bubble between Cook Islands and New Zealand. The announcement came as part of the airline’s Covid-19 international schedule through to June 30 2021. Cook Islands Tourism Industry Council president Liana […]

For Virginia Cabral the chance to finally meet 7-month-old granddaughter Maria Virginia was sweet. Straight through the Auckland International Airport on the first quarantine-free flight from the Cook Islands she got to meet the baby for the first time. Cabral was also reunited with her other granddaughter Mahina who she […]

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has called on the federal government to reconsider the long-term suspension of international travel, saying a Pacific bubble should be established this year. Ms Berejiklian’s push for a faster approach to international travel during the pandemic comes after Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly this week […]

Solomon Islands has avoided the worst of the COVID-19 crisis, but new research shows it could take it and other Pacific countries years to vaccinate the majority of their populations. With only 17 coronavirus cases detected from returning nationals at quarantine centres, and no community transmission in Solomon Islands, the […]

A new shipment of Covid-19 vaccines has arrived in American Samoa, 7800 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Our correspondent said it’s the intention of health authorities to complete 10,000 vaccinations before the first repatriation flight from Honolulu on January 29. Dr Francine Amoa, chair of the Covid Vaccine Working Group […]

Sofitel Fiji has now come to the end of its multimillion-dollar renovation program and the resort is looking stunning! We are delighted to share with you some of the special local offers we currently have as follows – 1)     Day Pool Pass “Day Pool Pass”Come and enjoy a day at […]

The Executive Council of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has expressed its continued support for Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. Meeting in Madrid, its members nominated him to continue leading the United Nations specialized agency for four more years. At the end of the 113th session of the Executive Council, held as a […]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!Take advantage of your January returnee rates from $125 per night. We would love to welcome you back to your Denarau home and enjoy our special discounted rates just for you, our valued returnees over the below dates: 20th – 31st January 2021……  ROOM ONLY RATES EXCLUDING BREAKFAST, INCLUSIVE OF […]

A United Nations-backed team is touring Bougainville’s outer islands this month, conducting climate change vulnerability assessments. Focussing on remote communities at high risk of climate impacts, the Building Resilience to Climate Change team has already visited a number of islands and atolls in the Papua New Guinea Autonomous Region. The […]

A new report from the UN’s air transportation agency confirms there was a “dramatic” fall in international air travel due to COVID-19, of around 60 per cent over the course of last year, to levels last seen in 2003. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said on Friday, that as seating capacity […]

Tonga has extended a State of Emergency for another month, until 15 February, due to ongoing concerns around the global spread of Covid-19. The State of Emergency was first declared 12 March and has been renewed regularly since. The extension, announced on Monday evening, means that a curfew will remain […]

Quarantine free travel into New Zealand will encourage more Cook Islanders to return home, says Prime Minister Mark Brown. The announcement of quarantine free travel into New Zealand has freed up about 300 vouchers back into the Managed Isolation Allocation System. According to a spokesperson, these were vouchers booked from […]

SYDNEY, January 18, 2021 – While the Pacific and Papua New Guinea (PNG) have avoided some of the worst health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the closure of international travel and lockdowns to curb the spread of COVID-19 have had serious impacts on employment, international labour mobility, and livelihoods across the […]

Fiji is high on the list of New Zealanders’ travel aspirations lists right now and many would pack their bags and go if the borders opened now, according to research released late last week. Tourism Fiji partnered with Mediaworks at the end of 2020 to survey Kiwis around their mindset […]

Nauru Airlines (ON, Nauru) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to start the process of replacing its B737-300 passenger fleet over the next few years, nominating pre-owned B737-700s or B737-800s as its preferred choice. This is the word from Chief Executive Officer Geoff Bowmaker, who told ch-aviation by email […]

The days of strolling into an airport, flashing a passport, then hopping on a flight to wherever one likes are, for now, a distant memory. The Covid-19 pandemic has transformed the travel landscape, potentially for decades to come. Countries all over the world are entering fresh lockdowns, but even when […]

“Following confirmation of the Cook Islands’ Covid free status, and the implementation of strict health and border protocols, we are now in the position to resume quarantine-free travel for passengers from the Cook Islands into New Zealand,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.  “These arrangements do not apply to New Zealanders […]

Fiji Link, Fiji Airways’ wholly owned subsidiary, has introduced mobile (digital) boarding pass options for customers checking in online for domestic flights from Nadi, Suva and Labasa. Customers flying domestically from the three airports are able to use mobile boarding passes generated on their device after they check-in online, without […]