Fiji has accused Australia and New Zealand of demoting the Pacific nation to "second-class consideration" in talks over a trans-Tasman travel bubble plan.
As New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters complained about ongoing state border closures in Australia, Fiji says it, too, has eliminated COVID-19 and should be able to welcome Australian tourist traffic.
Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has told The Australian Financial Review Fiji’s success should "burst" the two-country bubble.
Sayed-Khaiyum says with no new cases in nearly two months, Fiji deserves better than second-class consideration in a regional travel arrangement.
He says this pandemic has left our tourism industry paralysed.
Sayed-Khaiyum says in the interest of the thousands of Fijians who are now unemployed, we are actively exploring all potential options, and are open to creative ideas – including a state-led resumption of travel between Australia and Fiji.
He says if a fraction of the 10 million Australians who travel overseas each year came to Fiji in 2020, the local economy could be quickly revived.
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