Timely study
THE Domestic Tourism Study is expected to help tourism stakeholders better understand different tourism segments, characteristics and opportunities in order to more effectively target and cater to the local tourism market.
Launched by the Australia’s Market Development Facility (MDF) and the Fiji Hotel Tourism Association (FHTA), the study was informed by more than 10,000 online survey responses and follow-up interviews and was undertaken by FHTA and the Australian Governmentfunded MDF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport (MCTTT) and Tourism Fiji (TF).
FHTA chief executive officer Fantasha Lockington welcomed the study, saying it would provide useful insights to help refocus the efforts of FHTA members towards revitalising the tourism sector.
“Traditionally, local tourism operators rely on basic price discounting strategies but lacked the market research to effectively identify and target domestic tourism segments, so this study is very timely,” she said.
A statement from MDF said plans were in place to have follow-up consultations with tourism stakeholders on the key findings and recommendations of the report.
Minister for Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport, Faiyaz Koya highlighted that the Domestic Tourism Study would build on the success of the MCTTT’s Love Our Locals (LOL) campaign and noted that he looked forward to innovative packages targeted towards local tourism based on the survey’s key findings.
Mr Koya further urged tourism operators to continue developing packages for locals, while the country embarked on its journey to welcome back international visitors.
“Locals have been the greatest supporters of our tourism industry and economy. And we want this to remain.
“With the finding of this report, we want to ensure domestic tourism remains the foundation of the Fijian tourism industry and our every other national agenda. In fact, domestic tourism will now take on a greater significance as part of our Tourism Fiji marketing strategy. This will add resilience to the Fijian tourism industry,” said Mr Koya.
Tourism Fiji CEO Brent Hill said the study was one of the most comprehensive local market studies and had given us extensive insights to help them encourage local Fijians to explore this amazing country so far.
Mr Hill said the market research in the study provided valuable insights into Fiji’s domestic travel market that would shape and inform the strategies of tourism stakeholders.
MDF Fiji country director Malcolm Bossley acknowledged and thanked FHTA, MCTTT and TF in helping produce the report.
“We are all members of the Tourism Statistics Taskforce at MCTTT and are focused on providing timely research and market intelligence to support tourism recovery efforts in Fiji,” Mr Bossley said.