PORT VILA – 9 May, 2016: The first phase of rehabilitation for Vanuatu’s Bauerfield Airport in Port Vila has been officially completed, marking a new era of tourism for the South Pacific nation.
Repair work on the runway was completed in April by New Zealand contractors Fulton Hogan. The Minister for Infrastructure and Public Utility Hon. Jotham Napat has now followed on from this by appointing an airport taskforce to finalise negotiations with the World Bank loan for the second phase of repairs to commence.
Vanuatu Tourism Office’s General Manager, Linda Kalpoi, said this has been a significant milestone and turning point for the destination and the future is looking bright once again.
“This is such an important moment for Vanuatu’s tourism industry and we are looking at the completion of this first phase as a launching point for the next exciting stage of tourism for our country,” Ms Kalpoi said.
“Vanuatu is stronger than ever and together with industry partners and the Vanuatu Tourism Office, we are thrilled to have a number of new destination product developments and an exciting integrated marketing campaign ready to be rolled out over the coming months.
The Vanuatu tourism industry has seen a surge in investment into the destination with several new product openings and re-openings scheduled, some of these include:
- Iririki Island Resort & Spa re-opened its doors last week after impressive renovations
- Trusted global brand The Holiday Inn will re-open in coming weeks following repairs
- A Ramada property, Akiriki Resort, is under construction with a scheduled opening in 2017
- Iconic resort and restaurant Tamanu on the Beach will reopen on 1 October, 2016 with 15 bungalows, a swimming pool and wedding chapel
- Air Vanuatu has announced increased weekly flights from Brisbane, Sydney and Auckland commencing 1 June, 2016
“To complement this further, the integrated ‘Discover What Matters’ marketing campaign will inspire and motivate people to book their holidays to Vanuatu and to reconnect with themselves and loved ones through travel trade education, public relations and digital marketing all developed.”
The next phase of the rehabilitation will see the airport meet code E specifications which will allow it to cater for long-haul flights from wide bodied aircrafts, opening the door to more travellers from around the globe.
ENDS