Travel and Tourism

Travel and Tourism in Tuvalu

Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Tuvalu.

Practical Information

Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.

Travel Alert Status: Level 3: Reconsider Travel
Time Difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Currency: Australian dollar (AUD); note - there is also a Tuvaluan dollar
Climate: tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)
Ethnic Groups: Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4%
National Holiday: Independence Day, 1 October (1978)
Geographic Coordinates: 8 00 S, 178 00 E
Location: Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Airports: 1

Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.

Medical Facilities and Health Information: Medical and dental care are very limited in Tuvalu, including in Funafuti, the capital. Serious medical problems are referred to health professionals and hospitals in Guam or Hawaii. Serious medical conditions requiring hospitalization and/or medical evacuation to the United States can cost thousands of dollars. Doctors and hospitals often expect immediate cash payment for health services.
Accessibility: Tuvalu prohibits discrimination on the basis of physical, sensory, intellectual, or mental disability. Supplementary state services to address the special needs of persons with disabilities are very limited. There are no mandated building accessibility provisions for persons with disabilities. The one multi-story government building has elevators, but they were recently found to be not operational. There were no elevators in other multi-story buildings. The Fusi Alofa Association (Tuvalu National Disabled Persons Organization) and the Tuvalu Red Cross are useful points of contact for additional accessibility questions. The Community Affairs Department in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Rural Development is responsible for protecting the rights of persons with disabilities.