The Buzz | Fiji welcomes back tourists despite omicron threat

Fiji welcomed back its first tourists in more than 600 days yesterday after pushing ahead with reopening plans despite the threat posed by the newly detected omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The Pacific nation is famed for its idyllic white-sand beaches and relaxed, welcoming attitude. And it depends on the tourist dollars those features attract. Fiji’s economy took one of the biggest pandemic-related hits in the world last year, declining by 19% and prompting the government to offer jobless people tools and cash to become farmers.
So it was with a sense of relief that officials greeted the first tourist flight from Sydney. More flights from Australia and the U.S. are scheduled in the coming days.
Fiji Airways Chief Executive Andre Viljoen told media that the resumption of tourism would help reignite the economy.
“Welcome to this very momentous day,” he said. “We have been waiting for this day for the past 20 months.”