16 June 2022

IS TANNA ISLAND REOPENING ON THE 1st OF JULY?

At this point there is no indication that Tanna Island will be ready for international tourism by July (14 days from today), and I highly doubt August 2022 will be any better.

FACTS:

1. The vaccination levels are too low (actual 55%, when it needs be 90%) and ongoing uptake is very slow.
2. Although Tanna Island has been in Alert3 for a month, the general population of Tanna is not following national health protocols and this cultural phenomenon is difficult to resolve.
3. Tour operators (tourism transport) are gone, and new ones will have to be created, but critical lack of finance will severely hinder this process.
4. The landowners and operators of sights such as the volcano, the Blue Cave, traditional villages, the giant bayan tree and others are yet to be operating or even contactable for us to contract with.
5. Not enough (if any) businesses in Tanna are likely to be Health department SBO (Safe Business Operations) certified by July, hence exposing our guests to danger.

For this reason, we have regrettably advised all bookings for July and August to cancel or rebook later. We have a 100% refund cancelation policy to minimise the travel disruption.

We have kept our booking channels open for the remainder of the year and will decide on each month as we see improvements of the five above factors.

We will keep everyone posted as the situation evolves.

John Nicholls - Rockwater Resort, Tanna Island, Vanuatu.