Palau change its immigration laws for the cause of environmental protection

Palau is the first nation on earth to change its immigration laws for the cause of environmental protection and has implemented a Palau Pledge in 2017.

Upon entry, visitors need to sign a passport pledge to act in an ecologically and culturally responsible way on the island, to protect the environment for future generations.  

Watch this short film about Palau Pledge. 

Palau, First country to ban reef-toxic sunscreen. 

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On January 1st, 2020 Palau became the first country to ban sunscreen that is known or suspected to be reef-toxic.

Only mineral sunscreens that exclusively list zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide as their active ingredients and do not contain parabens, triclosan, trilocarban, or phenoxyethanol are allowed.   

World’s First Shark Sanctuary  

In 2009, Palau became the world's first shark sanctuary, prohibiting commercial shark fishing in over 200,000 square miles of ocean (about equivalent to the land size of France).   

This bold move influenced global conservation efforts and led to the establishment of sanctuaries in the Maldives, Honduras, Bahamas, and Tokelau.

The sanctuary protects over 135 Western Pacific shark and ray species, fostering a thriving marine ecosystem. 

Alii Palau Airlines managing partner Akanksha Johri said that they thrilled to spread its wings further, offering twice-weekly flights on Thursdays and Sundays.

"This is a testament to our commitment to providing enhanced connectivity and convenience for our passengers.

"From flying once a week on Thursdays, we are now expanding our services to better serve the needs of our community and connect Palau to the pulse of the world. "

"As a local Palauan company, Alii Palau Airlines takes pride in connecting Palau to the rest of the world via Singapore Changi Airport, and we have a deep commitment to serve as a bridge connecting cities, people, cultures, and opportunities.

"We are dedicated to providing a seamless and enjoyable travel experience for each passenger, with Singapore just 5 hours away. 

"We also see huge opportunity connecting travelers from Europe, India and Southeast Asia to Palau."

Using Drukair's A320neo plane with 140 passenger seats (including 20 Business Class) once-weekly roundtrips between Singapore and Palau are operated by Drukair and are an extension of Drukair's existing scheduled flights between Paro and Singapore.

This is a wet-lease agreement between Alii Palau Airlines and Drukair.