Get packing as the Pacific reopens

Feeling the cold? Get packing because the Pacific is reopening. Kicking off in July, Vanuatu will begin welcoming fully vaccinated travellers. And there are no quarantine or arrival caps. Air Vanuatu has responded with five non-stop flights from Sydney, one direct service a week from Melbourne, and three non-stop flights a week from Brisbane to Port Vila. From August, Samoa will also open to international travellers. Setting a high vaccination rate, it says a series of developments and new processes have been put in place to ensure the island nation is travel-ready, and that the health and safety of locals and international travellers is of utmost priority. The Cook Islands also reopened to fully vaccinated Australians in April, following New Zealand’s lead. Meanwhile, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says he plans to relax pandemic-related border restrictions in June.