News

It feels like a lifetime ago that locals in tourist-saturated areas complained of cramped infrastructure and unwelcome intrusion into their local culture. And when travel resumes, hopefully later this year after vaccinations weave their protective shield, a new and more sustainable travel industry must await. Increasingly, travellers are seeking out experiences […]

The high costs of airfares have been a challenge to domestic travel and tourism. According to the Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA) Chief executive officer Eric Mossman, that in spite of the ill effects that the pandemic has brought to the country, this has allowed them to reassess and see where […]

Colonia, Yap. January 5, 2021. The remote island of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia is among the few places in the world that remains free of Covid-19 thanks to its ocean border and a strict travel ban that has kept its residents safe. Nonetheless, Yap has been affected, […]

TOURISM DECLARES A CLIMATE EMERGENCY The Chamber has made a Declaration and becomes a member of Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency   https://www.tourismdeclares.com. The Committee will be working on this project commencing late January 2021.  Members are encouraged to help with this project so just let Committee know if you are […]

Greetings from New Caledonia. It’s safe to say that 2020 has been a very challenging year, and 2021 will be certainly again. In order to protect the local population and to avoid the widespread of the Covid-19 virus, our Caledonian government has taken the decision to maintain our borders closed […]

The Australian government has warned travellers to not get excited about overseas travel despite Qantas putting international tickets on sale from July 1, saying there’s no guarantee they will be able fly as long as Australia’s international borders stay shut. Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Michael McCormack said the […]

Starting Thursday, people will be able to fly with Air New Zealand from Aotearoa to Brisbane and not have to quarantine on arrival. The announcement comes after Queensland’s Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced in December the state was reopening its borders to Kiwis following them being shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, […]

It’s not a tsunami, but wave season deals are starting to flood in, from cruise lines big and small. Given the current circumstances, it’s been debated whether there will be a 2021 wave season. Alex Sharpe, president and CEO of Signature Travel Network, expects a wave but not a traditional […]

New Cruise Lines International Association research shows two out of three cruisers are willing to cruise within a year and 58% of international vacationers, who have never cruised, likely to do so in the next few years. This is part of CLIA’s newly released 2021 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook. […]

Each of French Polynesia’s Society Islands has their own distinct aesthetic. Tahiti has deep mountain valleys. Moorea’s visitors often note its lurid, craggy peaks and picturesque bays. Bora Bora has the iconic Mount Otemanu rising from the center of a brilliantly hued blue lagoon. Huahine, roughly in the center of […]

Opinion: Sven Lindblad, CEO, Lindblad Expeditions An article in the New York Times on August 27 bore the headline “Move Over Sustainable Travel, Regenerative Travel Has Arrived.” It got a lot of attention, rightfully so, as it was a very meaningful article. The first two paragraphs were telling. “Once accounting […]

Crystal Endeavor is on track to debut in the summer, according to Crystal, which said it’s pleased with the resumption of work on the vessel at MV Werften. Crystal’s first purpose-built expedition ship, which had been scheduled to begin sailing last August, was delayed when MV Werften shut down during the […]

2021 will ring in 27 new oceangoing cruise ships, adding 39,530 lower berths to the global fleet. This makes for a total investment $10.4bn, according to Seatrade’s orderbook, just updated to include Coral Geographer, arriving in March, instead of late 2021. Twenty-six lines will be adding a new ship (one ship is shared by […]

One of the Shareholders of Air Vanuatu, Minister of Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Jay Ngwele, has confirmed that the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Vanuatu officially assumed office yesterday. The new CEO is Tongan-born ‘Atu Finau. Mr Finau who reportedly arrived in Vanuatu last month from Auckland, New […]

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a severe lockdown for England on the back of skyrocketing COVID-19 cases.  “The government is once again instructing you to stay at home,” Johnson told Brits. He says people can only leave home for limited reasons, like to shop for essentials, to go […]

LOOKING FORWARD TO A NEW YEAR AND A NEW START! Well… what a year it has been!A year without precedent and one in which our world has irretrievably changed. Like others all around the world, we here in the Cook Islands, are looking forward to the New Year and a […]

The ship Tahiti Nui has arrived in Suva to deliver relief items provided by French Polynesia to assist Fiji’s rebuilding work in response to last month’s Cyclone Yasa. The consignment of a total 64 tons comprises relief items, building materials and construction equipment and tools, worth more than $US200000. The […]

As far as the travel world goes, there was little to nothing good that came out of the pandemic in 2020. Nor, do I suspect, anything good will emerge in 2021 until the effects of the vaccines kick in later this year – if enough people take it. But that’s […]

 Airline companies have been ordered to resume flights into and out of the Hoskins Airport in the West New Britain Province for a period of five days, beginning Saturday 02nd January 2021. National Pandemic Response Controller and Police Commissioner David Manning, said that this will allow stranded passengers to return […]

It has been a year since Covid-19 began to spread. Which countries did the best job of responding to the pandemic in 2020, and what can we learn from them? A successful response to Covid-19 turned out to depend on more than a country’s wealth, scientific prowess and history of […]