December 15, 2022 3:18 am | Posted in Features
Vanuatu started 2022 with uncertainty on what the year ahead would bring. There was the ongoing issues of dealing with COVID, the rollout of vaccines and businesses struggling to keep afloat.EU, Vanuatu visa waiver agreement under threatDue to concerns of deficiencies with screening and background check on applicants, the EU proposed a partial suspension of the visa free travel for Vanuatu passport holders. At the time, citizenship sales had exceeded the 2021 budget and was a significant revenue contributor to the Vanuatu Government. Read more»
November 15, 2022 11:14 am | Posted in Features
V-LAB - Helping Grow Vanuatu3 years ago, in November 2019, V-Lab was established in Port-Vila as a charitable association with the view to promote and support entrepreneurship and innovation in the country.For the past 3 years, V-Lab, working hand-in hand with Yumiwork - Vanuatu’s first co-working space, has worked hard to improve and strengthen the local business ecosystem in order to make it more conducive for entrepreneurship, social action and innovation. Read more»
October 15, 2022 10:35 am | Posted in Features
2022 Snap Election overviewThe final results of the 2022 snap election were release on Sunday evening of the 23rd October. 14 out of the 52 sitting Members of Parliament lost their seats with the majority of the existing MPs returned. 10 new MP’s and 4 former MP’s including 2 former Prime Ministers won seats in the new legislature. Read more»
October 4, 2022 1:07 am | Posted in Features
Do we need a National Airline?
I was recently sitting in the departure lounge at the international terminal waiting to board the plane for Brisbane. At check-in, I was told that the plane was full, and looking around, I saw a mixture of passengers. There were tourists, local residents, and a lot of seasonal workers. Full planes mean good loadings and this is good for Air Vanuatu. However, Vanuatu’s embattled airline has had its fair share of problems and the problems go deeper and further back into its thirtyplus years of existence. In its 2020 financial statements, the numbers are quite concerning. As of 31st December 2020, Air Vanuatu has accumulated losses of VT7.785b with a negative equity position of VT3.12b. Its solvency has only been possible with the support of the Vanuatu Government and, therefore, the taxpayers of Vanuatu.
Read more» September 6, 2022 12:26 am | Posted in Features
In July, the Vanuatu Govt published its half-yearly Economic and Fiscal Update. The published report outlines the state of the Economy and how the Vanuatu Government has been managing its fiscal policy. In this article, the VBR will summarize the key points covered in this reportOverview Read more»
July 5, 2022 11:37 pm | Posted in Features
Arguably, employees of any organization are the most valuable resource in an organization. Productive, motivated and well remunerated staff are behind any successful organization.At 2.4%, Vanuatu had one of the highest rates of population growth rate for 2020 in the world, outside of Africa. In the Oceania region, it is only exceeded by Solomon Islands at 2.5%. Over half of the population (53.64%) is under the age of 24. Each year, thousands of young ni vanuatu leave school and go out in the workforce. The prospects of finding jobs for these school leavers is very much dependent upon economic growth with demand for new employees only coming about through growth in the economy and new business investments. Read more»
May 30, 2022 2:35 am | Posted in Features
As Vanuatu prepares to reconnect to the rest of the world following the government announcement of border opening on 1st of July, there’s a lot of speculation about what this will reallylook like and how ready we will be. A vital part of this reconnecting for us as an island nation, is about our national airline Air Vanuatu. In this modern world, flying has become second naturefor most of us. All our international students, labour mobility workers and business connections these days rely on international flights. So, the airline connections are critical to the country. Read more»
April 30, 2022 1:43 am | Posted in Features
From staring into the depths of an active volcano, to swimming with dugongs, to tramping through lush rainforests, to simply lying on a beach, the pristine and untouched beauty of Vanuatu offers unforgettable sights from north to south. This is complemented by the friendly and welcoming nature of the hosts and the unique culture on show, which creates lifelong memories and makes holidaying around Vanuatu a genuinely special experience. Read more»
April 2, 2022 4:22 am | Posted in Features
On 04 March 2022, an active COVID-19 case was confirmed at Vila Central Hospital who had no travel history, indicating transmission at community level. On 6 march a Declaration of Public Health order was signed by the Minister of Health at the time. The order was for an immediate lockdown of Efate and Offshore islands. Non-essential businesses were to cease operating and all inbound and outbound domestic travel including inter island shipping stopped. A curfew was applied from 6pm to 6am for 72 hours. Read more»
March 5, 2022 11:13 pm | Posted in Features
In March, due to the threat posed by COVID-19, the Vanuatu Government closed its borders and in doing so, closed down the Tourism Sector. At the beginning of April, Tropical Cyclone Harold, a Category 5 cyclone passed over the northern island of Santo causing massive damage to infrastructure, food gardens and buildings. The losses from this natural disaster was in excess of US$100m. Read more»
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