What a Difference a Year Makes
As I reflect on what we were doing a year ago today I can't help but think to myself how amazzing the people that live here in Vanuatu really are. Whether we talking about the locals living in the Sheperds group or on Tanna or Expats in Port Vila and Santo everyone has lifted themsleves from scenes of devasation on the morning of 14th March 2015 to be moving on and helping others in times of need like the donations that have flowed privately and publicly from Vanuatu to our Fijian brothers and sisters in their time of need.
I watched some footage of the damage Pam inflicted on Vanuatu this time last year and can only say that each and everyone of the people that live and work in the beautiful island nation all deserve a medal for getting things back on track and picking up the pieces of an economy that is driven by the Tourism Sector and who also rely so heavily on the Agricuture sector for much of the country's economy.
Whats needed now is an inflow of tourist like never before especially from our near neighbours in Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. Vanuatu needs your dollas, francs whatever you can muster to continue the recovery from Pam and more recently the temporary withdrawal of air sevices by Air NZ and VIrgin. As I write this piece contractors are hard at work applying the neccessary fixes to our Bauerfield runway which we are confident will see the return of Virgin and Air NZ to our shores sooner rather than later.
Whats that I hear in the background? Of course that is the sound of Air Vanuatu's brand new Boeing 737-800 departing on time for Sydney. Good on you Air Vanuatu for keeping the flagship flying your normal schedules throughout the repair works to the runway. Air New Guinea, Solomons Air, Air PNG and Air Calin are also maintaining regular schedules to and from Vanuatu throughout the repair works schedule which wheather permitting should be completed for inspection by all users of the runway by early April.
So start planning your next short break now... you deserve it..
Cheers
Bryan and the team at VLHH