Fiji eyes Pacific tourism market
PLANS are now progressing to look to the Pacific to boost Fiji’s tourism industry. Speaking in Parliament last week, Minister for Commerce, Trade and Tourism Faiyaz Koya highlighted that based on its growing success for the ‘Love our Locals’ campaign, Tourism Fiji is now looking to the Pacific. “The local tourism market will be part of Tourism Fiji’s marketing strategies also even after the borders open, and based on the growing success of our ‘Love Our Locals’, we are now embarking on the Pacific as a key source market and the preliminary focus will be to capitalise on existing leisure segment with the outlook of developing meetings, conventions and events.
“Our preparation also includes harnessing our strengths and creating the actual sectoral linkages and we are looking at supporting our MSMEs and including the requirement of having locally grown produce in the criteria for the funding and I think this was also mentioned earlier by the Minister for Agriculture about how we collaborate and get all of these things done. “Since the launch of the local event fund, we have supported events including the Fiji Festival in Suva, the Namosi Marathon, Beach Beats and Eats, Leleuvia Ocean Swim, A Sustainable Fashion with a Purpose and the Fiji Super 7s Series. With the other part of it also as the Care Fiji Commitment (CFC) and CFC programme we actually received global recognition by the World Travel and Tourism Council.”
“With this recognition, travellers can recognise destinations and businesses that are adopting health and hygiene protocols that are aligned with WTTC’s Global Safe Travels Protocols.
“To date, we have registered nearly 200 wellness ambassadors across the industry with about 400 businesses signed up and as I am updating this particular House, with the support, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, we are out actually conducting second round of the CFC roadshow. It has now been over 330 days since last outside border case and much of the success is owed to the Fijian COVID Safe Economic Recovery Framework.
Minister Koya said under the framework the Government and relevant agencies have implemented safe entry for both leisure and non-leisure travel and to date about 103 yachts, 438 passenger and crew under the Blue Lanes initiative have been welcomed.
“To spread the associated economic activities, we are now working with relevant stakeholders also to see if we can designate Savusavu as an additional port of entry and as we all know Savusavu is a wonderful destination for yachters.”