Kiwis unfazed by Fiji furore

A Report by Esther Harward in last weekend’s Sunday Star Times and in www.scoop.co.nz says New Zealand travel agents say that 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 told the Sunday Star Times at the time that the situation has not changed bookings for the school holidays which begin on June 30, adding, “You can’t get accommodation for love nor money.”

This is reportedly partly because of discounts of up to 40% off airfares and holiday packages offered by Fiji’s tourism action group, in a bid to recover tourist numbers lost since the latest coup in December.

Linda Cairns, Destination Manager South Pacific for House of Travel in NZ, who has responsibility for all Fiji product, told The Mole today though that while Fiji is definitely busy during the school holidays, there is still availability across the holiday period and people wanting to travel to Fiji in that period can do so. 

She also said, added, “We are not experiencing any New Zealanders cancelling because of the current situation between New Zealand and Fiji and we are only marginally behind last year for Fiji, having picked up good business to Fiji as result of our camapigns over the last month or so.

Last week Fiji expelled New Zealand High Commissioner Michael Green and detained and then deported Fairfax NZ journalist Michael Field.

An Auckland Flight Centre travel agent says people do not seem to know what to make of those events. “A few people have cancelled, it’s really hard to say, because we don’t know if it’s going one way or the other.”

Staff were advising people to read their travel insurance policies closely because not all policies covered cancellations. “If you’re aware of the situation, and you’re going over, it’s at your own risk.”

Karl Dixon, Travel Claims Manager for IAG NZ, says many policies will not cover cancellations unless the government escalates its safety warning to “extreme risk” – which is two levels above the current warning. If the warning was “high” they would not be covered.

STA’s General Manager Blair Cotton says those in the budget market, which includes students, are unlikely to cancel holidays. “Our people tend to go anyway.”

Statistics New Zealand figures show in the year to April, 105,753 people took short-term trips to Fiji compared to 109,195 the year before.

About 12,000 Kiwis travel to Fiji in June each year.

Almost 90% fly to Nadi and then to the islands rather than travelling through the capital Suva.

Paul Clark, General Manager of the Mercure, at Nadi, says he was about 10% down on sales and this would probably increase slightly in the next couple of months.

Other hotels further away from the airport had complained of 15-30% losses with General Manager of the Shangri-La’s Coral Coast hotel David Hopcroft saying business is down 10-15%, adding it would take about two years to recover tourism and it could be longer if the situation escalated.  He siad, “The unfortunate consequence is if tourism remains depressed then ordinary Fijian people lose their jobs.”

The tensions are “hype”, he says. “Once people get here and they get a warm Fijian hello and step into their hotel they look very relaxed to me.”  “It’s 28 degrees and a clear sky – it’s a postcard day.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s warning that there is “some risk” to security in Fiji and that people should “proceed with caution” has not changed since Decembers’ coup.

Report by The Mole from Sunday Star Times and www.scoop.co.nz