Influx of tourists expected next year
THE local tourism market should expect an influx of international visitors into Fiji from next year.
“So once we get to that level, and we say OK, we can handle it within that realm,” Tourism Fiji CEO Brent Hill said.
“I feel like we can have some real numbers probably back at the end of the year and then all those markets start to open up and things start to really sort of move so, in 2023 we can start to feel like we can pick up again for sure.”
Mr Hill said while there was an estimated 350,000 visitors expected to visit the country by the end of this year, the numbers might change dramatically when countries like China opened up.
“I do expect that we’ll start to see a few more people start to come over to Fiji as we head into the European summer and I do think we’re going to see markets like Singapore and so on, open up.
“So the good thing is they’ll be telling people about Fiji, but then the critical thing is well how do I get there.
“So at the moment, a lot of the route is coming through America, so fly from Europe, fly down to LA or San Francisco and then come on to Fiji and the good thing is when they do come, they’re staying here for a long time, so they’re staying plugged for two weeks or whatever, because it’s like it’s a long journey.”
Mr Hill said the more flights we could get through Singapore, the sooner we could get visitors into Fiji as these were major connections
He said the fact that Australia and New Zealand were open played a critical role in the local sector.
“You know Australia, New Zealand are doing the bulk of the heavy lifting for some time yet but we will start to see some of those other markets start coming towards the end of the year.”