Expulsion could be worse than coup for Fiji tourism
A report in New Zealand’s The Dominion Post says that Fiji’s tourism promotion body fears the expulsion of top New Zealand diplomat Michael Green could end up being worse for the struggling industry than a military coup.
The Fiji Visitors Bureau has already lost $20,000 after cancelling the first week of a new tourism campaign to attract New Zealanders, which coincided with Mr Green being declared persona non grata last week.
FVB CEO Bill Gavoka told the Fiji Times that workers at hotels and resorts had been working reduced hours with less money in their pockets since last December’s military coup, and owners were operating in “survival mode”, but that could only last so long and there was a belief in the industry that the expulsion of Mr Green could make things even worse.
“A coup is internal, but once you touch anything outside, it has a bigger dimension.”
“There is a lot of anxiety in the industry about all this.” “If this situation creates uncertainty and ill-feelings among people in New Zealand against Fiji, then tourism will suffer.”
Prime Minister Helen Clark said last week that she did not consider Fiji a safe place to be for New Zealanders under interim Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama’s regime.
Mr Gavoka called on the interim government to do all it could to lessen the tension.
“They should be burning the midnight lamp.” “Remember, there are lives being affected – they go home with reduced money in their pockets.”
The Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry’s travel advisory for Fiji has, for now, remained as being “some risk”, but has been updated to include last week’s expulsion, which it says “may lead to increased tensions”.
Travel agents are remaining optimistic and say Fiji’s latest tensions are putting off a few travellers but most are waiting to see how things unfold before making a decision about whether to cancel their holidays.
A House of Travel staff member said the situation had not changed bookings for school holidays, beginning on June 30.
Tourism is Fiji’s main export earner, accounting for 20% of GDP, with New Zealand the second-largest consumer – meaning any drop-off in demand is going to hurt the operators.
Hotels near Nadi have complained of 15 to 30% losses and the GM of the Shangri-La’s Coral Coast hotel, David Hopcroft, saying business was down 10 to 15%, adding, “The unfortunate consequence is if tourism remains depressed then ordinary Fijian people lose their jobs.”
Report by The Mole, The Dominion Post and Fiji Times
John Alwyn-Jones
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