Prioritise Fiji Tourism Industry: ADB Advises
KFiji could spread tourism activity and benefits to more areas, as 75 per cent of hotel rooms were concentrated on the Coral Coast-Nadi corridor, the bank said. Improving transportation connections to Vanua Levu, by upgrading airports in Savusavu and Labasa and construction of a new airport, was a potential solution. While sea transportation remained viable, the initial focus should be on enhancing key connecting jetties to Vanua Levu, the bank said.
eep hotel pricing competitive, Asian Development Bank told Fiji in an economic outlook report. And expedite investment process, it said.
The bank also called on the Government to maintain growth in the tourism sector. It said limited tourist accommodation could hinder sustainable growth in the sector.
Fiji has 13,000 hotel rooms available from 421 licensed accommodation providers, but the increasing number of unlicensed shortterm accommodation providers on platforms like Airbnb was also a concern.
The bank proposed three ways the government could help:
■ easing impediments to domestic and foreign tourism investment,
■ improving tourist infrastructure, particularly in outer islands, and
■ exploring alternative forms of tourism.
Fiji should act quickly to attract more investment in tourism, as potential investors could view the government’s complex foreign investment procedures as a barrier to entry, the bank said.
Prioritise environment
The government was encouraged prioritise environmental protection and promote sustainable tourism.
“One of the critical obstacles to realising investments is the delays in finalising and obtaining approval for environmental impact assessments,” the bank said.
“To address this, the Government has established an inter-ministerial body to help streamline investment-related processes. “
Fiji could spread tourism activity and benefits to more areas, as 75 per cent of hotel rooms were concentrated on the Coral Coast-Nadi corridor, the bank said.
Improving transportation connections to Vanua Levu, by upgrading airports in Savusavu and Labasa and construction of a new airport, was a potential solution.
While sea transportation remained viable, the initial focus should be on enhancing key connecting jetties to Vanua Levu, the bank said.
Alternative forms of tourism, such as sports, retirement, and medical tourism were avenues the government needed to consider, the bank said.
There is potential to attract medical tourists from neighbouring Pacific countries by investing in additional privately operated hospitals to enhance healthcare infrastructure, the bank said.