The history of Fiji tourism
In 1970, Rory Scott, who was then the general manager of the Fiji Visitors Bureau, presented a paper to the Fiji Society entitled “The Development of Tourism in Fiji since 1923. This article is based on that paper.
The Suva Tourist Bureau was born on May 1, 1923, the children of a body known as the White Settlement League. First manager was John Herrick. He set up office in the premises that formed part of the old Club Hotel.
Fiji exceeded performances predicted in the Checci report of 1961 despite the lack of support from government.
This was due to the “large measure of actions of national tourist organisations in Australia and New Zealand. Both bodies seized opportunities in the report and went about implementing its recommendations with energy and demonstrated success.
As a result Fiji was able to ride piggy-back on many of their marketing efforts where American tourists were concerned and also take advantage of the determination of airlines to increase business out of Australia and NZ.
In the long years between the rebuilding of Nadi Airport and Fiji’s big push into the international travel market, hotel building was virtually declining.
Northern Hotels, under the leadership first of its founder, Sir Hugh Ragg, then under David P.Ragg, pushed forward with the enlargement of Korolevu Beach Hotel, the modernisation of the Club Hotel in Suva, and the maintenance of a string of smaller hostelries around Viti Levu.
Bill and Kathie Clark were residents at Korolevu and moulded what became a particular brand of Fiji Welcome which is still used as a yardstick in the Fiji hotel industry.
Two pioneers, Pete Slimmer and Paddy Doyle with a group, with a group of Pan-Am pilots created the Skylodge as the first tourist hotel to serve Nadi Airport, and then the new Fiji Mocambo, which set a new style for Fiji hotels in luxury service and food.
Later in the mid-1960s, they went on to even greater things when they conceived and built a dramatically beautiful resort, The Fijian.
In early 1960s, two vitally important developments took place, which put Fiji on the international tourist map.
In 1962, the government finally took note of tourism’s potential and introduced duty-free trading, making Fiji the duty-free capital of the
Pacific.
Duty-free trading was originally recommended in a paper put forward by the Junior Chamber of Commerce to the Fiji Visitors Bureau, who in in turn presented a paper recommending duty-free trading to the government. The result was the sudden jump in the number of Australian and NZ tourists.
Encouraged, the government in 1964, passed the Hotel Aids Ordinance, designed to encourage the building of new hotels. It was a highly successful move, and was hailed as one of the most enlightened aids to tourism anywhere in the world.
In 1965, a comprehensive survey, specifically on the travel and tourist industry in Fiji was conducted by the American firm of Harris, Kerr Forster & Co.
The survey was commissioned by the Fiji government.
Together with the Hotel Aids Ordinance, the survey indicated that at last the Fiji government was taking the new industry seriously.
Much of this change of attitude was due to the fact that Fiji was going through the transition from a colonial form of government to a political form leading to self-government.
By 1966, the tourist industry was worth around $F13 million and no longer had to struggle so hard with the image of being a marginal, frivolous activity disdained by colonial administrators.
More locals were extending their education and thousands of school leavers were seeking new jobs every year. The tourist industry was labour intensive.
However, the National Development Plan published in 1966 contained no mention of the industry and the new tourism portfolio was tucked in with communications and works, almost as an afterthought.