Page 48 - Fiji Traveller 7

Tuvalu:

Off the beaten travel track

By Kalinga Seneviratne a week – Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. All are propeller-
driven Fiji Airways flights from Suva that take about three hours.
By any standards, Tuvalu would be considered a unique place On either side of the runway are two streets, one of which stays
to visit – after all, it is at the frontline of the battle against climate busy throughout the day.
change. But as a travel destination, it is a world apart. In a world There is no fencing between the streets and the runway. Thus,
of its own. children, as well as adults, use the runway in the evenings to
Until I arrived in Tuvalu, I had not seen an airport that was not play football, a Tuvaluan version of volleyball, and for cycling.
fenced. So, the sight at Funafuti International Airport was a rare It appeared to be the most popular hangout for the people of
one. Looking out the window as the aircraft waited to offload, I Funafuti in the evenings before sunset.
saw motorbikes and cars crossing the runway. They certainly Tuvalu’s population of about 11,200 is scattered across nine
weren’t airport vehicles. islands (four reef islands and five coral atolls) spread far apart.
Little did I know, that was just the start of entering into a world The atoll island of Funafuti accommodates half the country’s
defined by the unconventional. population.
I stayed at a hotel that was just a few steps from the airport Funafuti has only three hotels. They would be considered small
terminal. In fact, it was basically within the airport area. Once by international standards. Tuvalu’s remoteness and the cost of
you’re through immigration and customs, the hotel is simply a airfares are a deterrent for tourism. Hotels seem to be mainly
two-minute walk from the terminal. occupied by expatriate consultants on short-term assignments.
Funafuti International Airport gets only three scheduled flights Hence, there is no tourism infrastructure. There are no taxis,

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