Koya opens Fiji’s first ever ‘bula’ interhash
The Minister for Industry, Trade, Tourism and Lands Faiyaz Koya officially opened the Bula International Interhash 2018 in Nadi on Friday.
Mr Koya thanked the organisers for successfully organising the event and for their insight in putting together Fiji’s first ever Interhash event.
“As you know, Nadi Interhash actively began bidding for the event to be hosted in Fiji for the last 10 years; they finally won the bid in 2016 against much larger bidders like Malaysia and Indonesia,” the minister said. “This is truly a milestone achievement, especially with Fiji being the first country in the Pacific region to host the Interhash and what better place to celebrate the interhash’s 21st anniversary than in Fiji.”
While the event is expected to boost visitor numbers and revenue during a traditionally slow tourism season in Fiji, he said it would also ensure that the benefits spread across the country especially in communities within the boundaries of event location. “Furthermore, the event provides the opportunity to showcase our rural landscape and complements efforts of the Fijian tourism industry to put Fiji on the world map as more than a sun, sea and sand destination,” Mr Koya said.
Over the years, he said Fiji has successfully hosted a number of events including sports, festivals, meetings and exhibitions. “Such events are great and at the same time important for Fiji; it enables the Fijian tourism industry to tap into non-traditional markets, it increases tourism arrivals and activities during off peak season, increases employment opportunities and Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) activities” Mr Koya said.
He said it would also increase marketing mileage and foreign exchange which presented the opportunity to expand the horizon of the Fijian Made and Tourism Fiji brand campaign.