Many countries are stretching their international travel restrictions to minimize the risk of seeing a COVID-19 spread. The biosecurity safety measures are designed to protect our communities and the world by preventing additional surges in the virus. In New Caledonia, overseas travel bans expected to lift in March have just been extended to July 31, 2021.
There are some exceptions of course like one weekly flight from Paris to Noumea, as well as flights to and from Wallis and Futuna. However travel is largely accompanied by strict regulations for those who qualify and choose to fly, including a mandatory quarantine period for two weeks. As of November 10th, there are 29 confirmed cases being managed and zero fatalities.
As expected, putting people first comes at a cost. International tourism is down by 79% in APAC regions. While some regions like Europe boldly chose to gradually reopen international borders, it was short-lived as they also saw an increase in outbreaks. Amidst the uncertainty, the World Tourism Organization is forecasting an increase in international travel demands in the second half of 2021.
In the meantime, the population in New Caledonia is shrinking. For the first time in 30 years, more people have left the island than arrived. With a remote geography and a blended population that includes a steady influx of foreign talent, emigration trends can have major impacts on local businesses. We’re already starting to see evidence of a few trends.
Prosperity on the island still relies on people power. Whether it’s the brains behind the operation or the brawn or some combination of it all, national companies need the right teams to execute projects that benefit our extended communities. Prolonging travel restrictions makes building dream teams more difficult as we have to learn to adapt. Failure isn’t an option and we look at this as an opportunity to get creative. By seeing challenges as an opportunity to learn and grow, we’re excited to find new ways to help our clients win the day. After all, that’s why we’re here.