Tourist influx to Fiji likely

With Australia having relaxed its Travel Advisory to Fiji, Fiji Visitors Bureau CEO Viliame “Bill” Gavoka, says that the tourism industry can expect to hit the billion dollar mark by June this year, adding that target is now eminently achievable, particularly with the launching of a new marketing campaign this week.

[Pictured from the Fiji Times, Australians from left, Jenny McLead, Nicole Clayton, Karly Horton and Asa Nilsson relax in Fiji at Nadi International Airport on Friday.]

Bill said the industry was happy with the easing of the travel advisory by Australia, which would see more tourists coming to Fiji, adding, “This is something really good and we are very happy about it because it is just in time for our tourism marketing launch on Tuesday.”

He said Australia’s travel advisory had dropped to level three which “is a good sign” and if everything went well and their marketing was a success, the industry would strike the billion-dollar earnings mark in June.

Fiji Islands Hotel and Tourism Association CEO Mereani Korovavala said it was good Australia “was taking a soft approach” adding that it was a positive sign and “We only have New Zealand, United Kingdom and Japan that need to relax their travel advisory a bit to be able to take us forward”.  She said lately occupancy rates for hotels had increased from 40% to 60% cent.

Fiji Retailers Association President Himmat Lodhia said they had been asking the Australian government to remove its travel ban, adding, “We have been wanting to tell our overseas counterparts that the country has always been safe and it has been even safer with the erection of checkpoints by the military.”

“We want visitors and loved ones to come and visit their families here during this time because there is nothing happening to cause fear or anxiety,” saying that the easing of the ban would help improve trade between the two countries.

The Fiji-Australia Business Council has applauded the decision by the Australian government to review and soften travel advisories to Fiji, describing it as a giant step towards recovery and in a statement Council president Caz Tebbutt-Dennis said,  “Truly, this is a giant step forward from where we were just five weeks ago”, adding. “This is absolutely fantastic progress towards saving jobs and achieving greater economic recovery for Fiji.”

“We should all applaud this and say thank you to our biggest trading partner for hearing the pleas of those speaking out, with the wording actually quite gentle now compared with what was there previously.”  

She said the Council had always maintained that nurturing and strengthening ties with our traditional trade partners like Australia and New Zealand had a direct influence on employment, investment and the economic future of Fiji, with Australia meaning F$1.26billion each year to Fiji (A$945 million) in goods and services exports, and tourism earns Fiji the big slice of the services exports of F$1.02 billion dollars (A$770m).  

She added, “Tourism from Australia is part of the backbone of the Fiji economy and provides countless thousands of jobs and it is just terrific to have this support from Australia so quickly, it is going to help a lot.”

As TravelMolers will be aware, The Mole visited Fiji last week and saw nothing that gave any cause for concern whatsoever in terms for Aussies visiting Fiji.

Special Fiji Report by The Mole