Page 22 - IB April 2021

Tourism

PALAU TRAVEL BUBBLE HITS SNAG

GOVERNMENTS WORK TO BRING BACK TOURISTS

By Bernadette H. Carreon Tmetuchl told the Palau leadership meeting on April 12 that
one way to bring the cost of travel down would be to in-
The travel bubble between Taiwan and Palau is in danger of crease the frequency of airline services from Taiwan.
popping following low interest from Taiwanese tourists to take Tmetuchl said PVA will focus its efforts on marketing, and
a holiday from a year of COVID-19 border restrictions. that state governments are working with the national govern-
In an effort to revitalise Palau’s economy which was devas- ment and had agreed to a $50 subsidy per traveller for fees
tated by COVID-19 in 2020 (with GDP down by 9.5% according incurred in coming to Palau.
to the Asian Development Bank), Palau and Taiwan announced President Whipps hopes that new technology to run poly-
the launching of a travel bubble last month. merase chain reaction (PCR) tests will be approved by US
President Surangel Whipps Jr. said after months of discus- authorities, saying such tests will not only cost less, but will
sions, the bubble could finally happen. He flew to Taiwan also yield COVID-19 test results within two hours, using saliva
for an official visit, returning to Palau days later with 100 samples.
tourists. Whipps said this test is being developed by iCare Dx, and
Amongst them was Hung Tzu-jen, who is the deputy su- the company is seeking emergency use authority approval
perintendent at the Shin Kong Wu Ho Su Memorial Hospital. from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Speaking through a translator, he lauded Palau’s efforts to A China Airlines flight to Palau on April 21 carried no tour-
ensure that the bubble was safe. Hung said it was his first ists. Passengers aboard that flight were returning residents.
holiday outside Taiwan since the declaration of the COVID-19 That morning, Whipps told reporters that although the cost of
pandemic. PCR tests was still too expensive for the tourists, travel costs
Flights between Taiwan and Palau were planned twice a had come down.
week under the travel bubble or “sterile corridor”. However some Palau observers say travellers are still afraid
While the inaugural flight on April 1 was much celebrated to take a holiday despite Palau’s status as one of the few na-
by both countries—with tourists excited and energised by the tions in the world that has reported zero COVID-19 cases.
trip—the interest in flights subsequently dwindled. Since the pandemic, Taiwan has 1,082 confirmed cases and
Just 63 tourists have arrived since then. By April 14, China 11 deaths. Its response to the virus has been considered suc-
Airlines had cancelled the flight, saying only two tourists were cessful as it has prevented community transmission.
interested. The launching of the travel bubble was also made possible
The high cost of the visit, which includes two US$400 CO- by Palau’s efficient vaccination program. As of April 21, 8,764
VID-19 tests, coupled with COVID-19 restrictions, has discour- total persons in Palau are fully vaccinated, or 49% of the total
aged tourists from travelling to Palau. population.
Visitors must buy expensive travel packages which require At its launch on April 1, President Whipps said the travel
them to stay within chaperoned tour groups, avoid contact bubble was a “ray of light,’ to revitalise the economy.
with locals, eat in approved restaurants and stay in selected “We seek everyone’s support and patience as we continue
hotels, and only use certain transport. to address challenges and improve the sterile corridor. Chal-
In a statement on April 14, President Surangel Whipps Jr. lenges help us improve customer experience and increase
said his government is working to see travel resume. demand,” said Whipps more recently.
“The Government of the Republic of Palau continues to Elsewhere in the Pacific, quarantine free travel has just
work closely with the Government of the Republic of China opened up between Australia and New Zealand, raising hopes
(Taiwan) to improve the sterile corridor,” Whipps said. that other Pacific Island countries may soon follow. The lead-
He welcomed moves by Taiwan’s health officials to ease the ers of New Zealand and Cook Islands (which like Palau has
COVID-19 regulations for Taiwanese tourists who will return had no COVID-19 cases) have said they’re working towards
from Palau. a travel bubble by May, while French Polynesia said it will
Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Centre (CECC) said reopen its borders on May 1, including to vaccinated travel-
that returning passengers will only have to follow self-health lers from the United States. However Fiji’s hopes for a travel
management protocols for 14 days. These protocols include bubble with Australia and New Zealand have taken a knock
wearing a mask at all times once back in Taiwan, checking with community COVID cases being reported in April following
their temperatures twice per day, and avoiding dining out and a breach in protocol at a quarantine centre.
joining large gatherings.
In 2019, Palau hosted 14,065 visitors from Taiwan, making it editor@islandsbusiness.com
the third largest source market.
Palau Visitors Authority (PVA) Chairman Ngiraibelas

22 Islands Business, April 2021