Fiji will be opening its doors to tourism for the first time since the pandemic began, with an official quarantine-free opening on December 1, 2021.

Fiji will have a fairly generous reopening policy, with entry allowed from 40 countries, including Canada.

This is an incredibly exciting development, given the closed-off nature of Oceania in general, ranging from the major countries of Australia and New Zealand to all of the Pacific Islands. 

Fiji Travel Restrictions

Fiji’s travel restrictions are fairly straightforward, with a list of clearly identified countries that travellers may enter from.

The full list of countries can be viewed on the Fiji Travel website.

How Can Canadians Enter Fiji?

Travellers are allowed to enter Fiji through all international airports and by sea via a cruise. As of October 2021, when departing Canada by air, travellers are required to present proof of vaccination.

Travellers coming from Canada must fulfill all of the following conditions before entering Fiji:

• Present evidence of a full course of COVID-19 vaccines completed at least 14 days prior to arrival.
  • Fiji only accepts Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson.
• A negative RT-PCR COVID-19 test taken three days prior to departure.
  • Children under 12 are exempt.
  • Drive-through tests and SMS texts are not accepted.
• A confirmed minimum three-night booking with a Care Fiji Committed (CFC)-certified accommodation.
• Medical travel insurance that covers COVID-19.
  • No minimum amount specified.

The full list of CFC-certified accommodation is available on the Fiji Travel website.

Travellers must also download the careFIJI app to facilitate contact tracing.

Testing & Quarantine Upon Arrival

Everyone arriving in Fiji must take a rapid antigen test 48 hours after arrival. During this time, they are allowed to travel around Fiji, provided they exclusively use CFC-approved tour providers, restaurants, and transit partners.

Testing & Quarantine Upon Return

Travellers must complete a negative molecular test within 72 hours of boarding their flight back to Canada.

Fiji makes this extremely easy, offering RT-PCR tests from FJD$150 (~$90). All tests will be managed by hotels, so reach out to them to arrange tests 72 hours prior to departure.

For the smoothest possible journey, you can also purchase a Switch Health’s RT-LAMP Test Kit prior to departure and self-administer it within 72 hours of your return flight to Canada.

Fully vaccinated Canadians can return to Canada by air without undergoing quarantine, upon completing a negative test at the airport on arrival into Canada. Canadians are considered fully vaccinated if they’ve received a full series of one of (or a mix of) Health Canada’s approved vaccines – Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, or Johnson & Johnson – at least 14 days before entering Canada.

As of November 30, 2021, Sinopharm, Sinovac, and Covaxin will be added to the list of eligible vaccines for quarantine-free entry.

Current Health Requirements in Fiji

The overall vaccination rate of Fiji has reached 80%, and most COVID-19 restrictions have been dropped as a result. That being said, masks are still mandatory in crowded public spaces and all indoor settings. 

There are no capacity restrictions, although there is a curfew from 12am to 4am daily.

Since November 12, 2021, Fiji has removed all restrictions on inter-island travel, and all ferries are running as per usual. Travellers between islands must be fully vaccinated, which is a non-issue for tourists in Fiji given they must be vaccinated in order to enter.

There are specific communities with vaccination rates below 80%, and Fiji encourages the general public to stay away from these regions.

Where to Stay in Fiji

Given our relatively large balances of hotel rewards points that have been sitting unused during the pandemic and the imminent devaluation of Marriott Bonvoy, it’s not a bad idea to burn some points in Fiji.

How to Get to Fiji

Fiji tends to be a relatively difficult destination to book flights on points, akin to Bora Bora.

For many Canadians, the first option is to consider Aeroplan, given the ease of collecting Aeroplan points. On that front, it’s bad news because the only Aeroplan partner who flies to Fiji is Air New Zealand from Auckland, and award space on that route (and Air New Zealand in general) appears only once in a blue moon.

One popular way to get there is to book Fiji Airways via Alaska Mileage Plan, costing 40,000 miles one-way in economy class or 55,000 miles in business class from Los Angeles or San Francisco to Fiji.

For the same price, you can actually fly all the way to Australia or New Zealand with a free stopover in Fiji, whenever Australia and New Zealand begin allowing tourists again.

You can also book the same awards on Fiji Airways using American AAdvantage miles, costing 40,000 miles one-way in economy class or 80,000 miles one-way in business class.

Because of the relative difficulty in booking with points, it’s also worth looking at cash options and offsetting with fixed-value points such as Scotia Rewards or HSBC Rewards points.

Conclusion

Fiji will be opening to travellers from select countries, including Canada, on December 1, 2021.

In order to enter the country, you must have a RT-PCR COVID-19 test taken within three days of departure, as well as present proof of vaccination with one of the four accepted vaccines in Fiji: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson. 

Upon arrival, travellers must spend the first 48 hours in a CFC-approved resort and only partake in CFC-operated activities, but are free to explore the entire country independently after that.

Fiji will undoubtedly be a perfect post-pandemic break, especially if you can find award availability on the way there.

As always, you can refer to our Travel During COVID-19 Resource for Canadians for the most up-to-date information on travelling in the pandemic era.