Solomons to reopen after tourism decimation

The Solomon Islands will reopen to international visitors on July 1, while local travel restrictions eased on June 1.

The post-arrival quarantine period for international travellers will be six days starting this month, the administration confirmed.

Inbound travellers must be vaccinated and have negative PCR tests within 72 hours and RAT tests within 12 hrs of arrival.

Children who can't be vaccinated are exempt, and the obligatory timeframe will be reviewed in July.

After reopening our borders on July 1, we may keep a three-day quarantine, stated Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.

The administration will confine institutional quarantine to returning nationals who can't get home quarantine. Foreigners without home quarantine facilities pay for hotel-based quarantine.

Solomon Airlines has started preparing for additional traffic and expects an industry revival.

Local restrictions lift on June 1 for domestic shipping and transit, foreign cargo vessels, and large social gatherings including churches, weddings, sports events, and nightclubs.

“We have altered our domestic timetable effective 6 June to prepare for inbound connections on Friday from our Brisbane to Honiara service and to enhance capacity to local routes like Munda, Gizo, Auki, and Santa Cruz,” said CEO Brett Gebers.

The airline may also resume its Tuesday trip to Fiji, which reopened internationally in December 2021 and received 46,000 visitors in April.

Due to border limitations, regular commercial travel to Vanuatu and Kiribati is not yet possible, but we look forward to restarting flights between Honiara, Port Vila, and Tarawa.

The Solomon Islands first closed its borders in April 2020 to combat global illnesses. The pause in overseas visits since April 2020 has harmed tourism, with 60 to 70% of tourism enterprises closing.

First Covid-19 community transmissions were recorded in January, and the government is focusing on Covid-safe processes and greater vaccination coverage as "the new normal."