Big things in small packages
WHILE large Fijian tourism operators make hay while the sun shines, it is the luxury and smaller, more boutique product that will offer the Aussie trade the best opportunity, Tourism Fiji Chief Executive Officer Brent Hill told Travel Daily.
The country began welcoming international tourists back in Dec (TD 01 Dec), and since scrapping pre-arrival PCR tests in Feb (TD
07 Feb), has been seeing great numbers flock back to the tropical destination, the Tourism Fiji head pronounced at this week’s Fijian Tourism Expo (FTE).
“From Dec through now we’ve had over 100,000 people travel to Fiji, so that’s significant,” Hill enthused.
However, with operators such as Marriott are booking out really quickly, occasionally months in advance, the real opportunity to be found is in smaller, boutique, and up-and-coming properties.
“Denarau is very easy to sell, because it’s near the airport... but what we need to be able to do is offer alternatives,” Hill explained.
“We’re wanting people to go to places like Savusavu, Kadavu Island, Laucala Island - all these kind of amazing places that are out there.
“I think that’s where the opportunity really lies, but it will just take some time for that market to grow.”
The Tourism Fiji head admitted some of the country’s smaller, more specialised destinations and suppliers may take a while to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, as detailed in the organisation’s 2024 corporate plan.
However, the beauty of FTE is in educating the trade about these operators, Hill believes, some of which are hidden in the most beautiful parts of Fiji.
“People are discovering Octopus Resort, Paradise Cove Resort, Yasawa Island Resort & Spa, these kinds of places,” he noted.
“They are just learning about that for the first time, and they’re actually stunning, really, really beautiful.”
Part of educating the trade on these boutique properties and experiences, as well as the country’s entire spectrum of tourism offerings, is the relaunch of Tourism Fiji’s travel advisor training program (TD 26 Apr).
“There’s a lot of people that were in the industry that have left the industry, so agents being able to understand our product by going through the Matai program will provide that confidence we want to get people to be able to sell Fiji,” he concluded.