Jarvis: Vigorous COVID-19 testing can resuscitate tourism in the Pacific

Source: Jarun Ontakrai / Shutterstock

By BEN BILUA

Australia’s Trade and Investment Commissioner Caleb Jarvis says tourism industry in the Pacific can resuscitate if respective countries improve coronavirus (COVID-19) testing mechanisms.

Speaking to journalists this week, Mr Jarvis said COVID-19 testing was an important component of reopening the boarders under the Pacific Bubble initiative.

He said the resumption of air travel through the trans-Pacific Bubble was critical for the tourism industry.

“But equally important is to know the level of information with regards to the presence of COVID-19 in country of destination,” he said.

Mr Jarvis said the new cluster of COVID-19 cases in Victoria, Australia and New Zealand spoke volumes of the need to enhance health and medical systems with dynamic testing mechanisms while looking at reopening the boarders for tourism purposes.

 “Australians love to travel to Fiji and they would jump on planes. I have no doubt, but the issue is being able to invest in testing and to gauge the real level of infection,” he said.

*Ben Bilua (Solomon Islands) is a final-year journalism student at USP’s Laucala campus. He is also the online student editor for Wansolwara, USP Journalism’s student training newspaper and online publications.