1. How are you reshaping Fiji’s tourism strategy to prioritize quality and sustainability, and what does success now look like for the country?
We recovered quite swiftly after COVID-19, and that is a testimony to the quality of our products. We profiled ourselves internationally and rode on that pent-up demand during COVID. We were ready for it, hence the swift recovery. Within the year, we had exceeded the pre-COVID arrival numbers of 2019.
As you highlighted, we are building around 4,000 new rooms. What we have now is a mismatch between the air inventory, the number of seats coming to the country, and what is available on the ground. There are a lot of airline seats, and the demand for rooms is quite high. It is something we are trying to address as quickly as we can by building more rooms.
As you can imagine, there are a lot of opportunities going begging when you cannot accommodate people.
In terms of efforts to grow the room inventory, we have some of the best concessions for developers to build in this country. We are also putting in place initiatives to make it easier for people to come in and invest in Fiji.
That is the immediate challenge right now: to grow the accommodation sector of tourism. As you highlighted, it is the backbone of the industry and the economy here in Fiji, accounting for more than 40% of the economy’s GDP.
Going forward, there are a number of challenges. One is training enough people to look after and serve the industry, because Fiji also produces trained manpower for the Pacific. A lot of our people go to the islands. There is an element of brain drain that is challenging for us, so training our people is quite critical to serving the industry.
As we speak, we do not have the traditional low and high seasons anymore. It is almost high from January to December. In the past, there would traditionally be low months that would enable us to train and strengthen the workforce during periods of lower demand. But now, with everyone running at full capacity all the time, getting the staffing is quite challenging.
There are a lot of people around, but they are not necessarily trained. I think we use the term “worker-ready”, moving from classroom training into actual operations.
It is also part of our strategy to develop the secondary segments of the industry and create more activities around the country.
2. How is Fiji diversifying its tourism offering beyond the traditional resort experience?
Initially, Fiji was built on sun, sand and sea. You go into a resort and you are a captive there. The traveler today is saying, “That is nice, but I also want to do something outside of the hotel.”
There is a drive to create more activities around the country.
Fiji is made up of 14 provinces. Right now, close to 80% of tourism is centered in two provinces out of 14, particularly around Nadi and the Coral Coast. You may have seen a lot of activity in Nadi and along the Coral Coast.
One of the policies of government under our sustainable tourism framework is to expand tourism to the other parts of the archipelago.
We currently have a World Bank-funded initiative for the second-largest island, known as Vanua Levu. It is a 10-year project costing around US$200 million to uplift the region for tourism.
On Viti Levu, if you want to build, the infrastructure is already in place. On the other island, it is still a struggle. Putting in place the infrastructure is a huge part of the plan with the World Bank. That is what is happening right now.
We are spreading tourism across the archipelago. There are about 330 islands in Fiji.
3. The pandemic exposed how vulnerable a tourism-dependent economy can be to a single global shock. Is there still a concern that Fiji is too dependent on tourism?
There is always a concern that we are too dependent on tourism in Fiji. What I say to that is that, yes, there is some degree of truth in that. It is true. But the same applies to other sectors of the economy.
When there is an epidemic, everyone suffers. Everything virtually comes to a standstill.
In terms of tourism, though, the recovery is always among the first. People get laid off, whether you are a manufacturer or a tourism worker. Everyone gets affected.
Tourism is always one of the first sectors to recover for a number of reasons. Number one, it is the profile that Fiji has as a destination. Number two, it is the quality of the products that we have. And number three, it is the ability to recover, to come back very quickly and provide full service to the tourism industry.
That became very evident post COVID-19. The country suffered a great deal and tourism came to a standstill. But, as I said, within the year, we had regained our numbers. A lot of the operators made up their losses within 12 months.
So, yes, you do not want to rely on one sector, but in things like COVID-19, which affected everyone, we were among the best when it came to recovery.
4. Many destinations compete on sun, sand and sea. How are you positioning Fiji to stand apart in the global travel market? How central are Fijian culture, community and the idea that happiness comes naturally to this positioning?
There are lots of beautiful beaches all over the world, as well as picturesque landscapes. But, as you highlighted, the branding tells the whole story: Where Happiness Comes Naturally.
You must have seen it over the last 10 days or so. I think in terms of branding, I was in marketing myself. I used to look after Tourism Fiji, and my branding during my time was “Fiji Me.”
A brand, you only refresh after five years or so. I know some brands have lasted longer than that. But I think “Where Happiness Comes Naturally” will stay for a long time. It tells you the whole Fijian story.
You arrive at Nadi Airport. When you board Fiji Airways, immediately you feel that happiness. And then you get into Nadi and meet the people. It is unique to Fiji.
It is unique to Fiji. People say that. There are lots of friendly people in the Pacific, but they say Fiji is different. It is the way we are.
We are still very embedded in our traditions and our way of life. You know the villages you see on the way. The whole structure, the way we do things, the principle of sharing. The principle that you are not alone. You always have a relative. That gives you a sense of comfort.
It comes across in the way you relate to people. So that is a point of difference for Fiji, the very strong community that we have.
In terms of culture, you can have an art center or cultural center where you showcase your culture in one location. With us, we do have one or two of those. But you do not have to go there to see our culture. It is every day.
In every village, the children know how to carry on those traditions, and that is going to remain there for a long, long time. That is part of the strength of tourism.
I met Dr. Pant yesterday, and he also mentioned that. It is part of the experience.
Halle Berry was here recently. She just said, “Look, these guys are just so happy.” And that is not manufactured. It is authentic. It is natural. And that is why people love it.
5. There is a new demand for higher-value experiences. How is Fiji balancing growth and investment with protecting its natural offerings, keeping the destination accessible and ensuring the benefits reach local communities rather than concentrating at the top end?
One of the four pillars of our sustainable tourism framework is “prosperous communities.” This is one of the four pillars of our sustainable framework.
The flow-on effect of tourism is there all the time.
In terms of accommodation mix, there is quite a good mix of five- and six-star properties, such as Kokomo and Laucala. There are close to 20 really high-end properties. Then you have the five-stars.
If you go to Denarau, you have a lot of five-star properties, the Hilton, Sheraton, Marriott, Sofitel, The Raddison and others. It is a good mix of high-end, five-star, four-star and three-star accommodation, including properties such as Novotel.
What we are also developing is community tourism. Airbnb is one element of it, and also what you call village stays. You stay in villages, community tourism. That is also taking off.
That is where the benefit goes directly to the village. You live amongst them.
So there is quite a bit of depth in terms of the types of accommodation on offer.
There was somebody who came in for two weeks. Six weeks later, his wife was calling him saying, “Hey, when are you coming back home?” He loved the Fijian village. It is just something else.
As you know, you come into this environment, you see people living the way they are, and you say, “Gee, I want to do this for a while.” So that is what people do.
You do not find this easily around the world, this type of environment where it is more focused on the present moment. So it is priceless.
6. The United States is now Fiji’s third-largest source market. How important is the American market, particularly California?
America is now number three. Australia is number one by virtue of its size and proximity. New Zealand is number two. The U.S. is now number three.
Indeed, last June, we had the highest number of Americans in Fiji ever in our history.
We are beginning to see quite a variety of American visitors. I remember going to Yasawa Island with a family. They had just come from Los Angeles, Fiji, Yasawa, seven days, and back to Los Angeles.
It is also becoming a family destination for Americans.
You know the TV program The Rookie? The LAPD show? There was a line about going to Fiji for a suntan. This is now coming on television.
So, as I say, it is a very important market. California is a big market, and already the profile is there.
7. Tourism ultimately depends on getting people to Fiji. What is your vision for strengthening Fiji’s international air links, including new routes and expanded partnerships? What are the main obstacles to improving access for a long-haul market like the United States?
In terms of aviation policy, there is an open-skies agreement between the U.S. and Fiji. We can fly to any port in the U.S. now.
We have liberalized our aviation policy. In the past, we used to be very protective of our airline. But Americans do not believe in protectionism. You believe in open skies.
So, American carriers can fly into Fiji, and they have already been doing that. And Fiji can fly anywhere in the U.S. now, which is a huge, huge plus.
Currently, we fly into San Francisco, Los Angeles, Honolulu and Dallas. Because of the fuel situation, Dallas will be suspended for a while. But we know that Dallas and other airports can be promising for Fiji.
Any U.S. carrier can fly into Fiji, and Fiji Airways can fly into any port in the U.S.
That really helps us, because getting an agreement like this can be very challenging. But we have been blessed with the American partnership in this area.
And we are the gateway to the Pacific. There are a lot of Tongans, Samoans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S.A. They all come through Nadi. It is better for them to come through here than to go through other ports.
Fiji is very important for the Pacific and for the U.S.
8. How do you reconcile the call for growth with genuine environmental protection? Can you point to specific commitments or safeguards that give that balance real substance?
There is a challenge in that with numbers. But for a country with a million visitors, that is still something we can handle comfortably.
We are aware of the challenges and threats if we do not manage this properly.
Already, there are a lot of organizations doing work in Fiji to preserve coral, replant coral and put in place programs to maintain the health of coral and marine life.
We also have a lot of marine protected areas in Fiji. We are seeing a lot of that happening now.
It is amazing how quickly a reef system can recover. Marine life, if you deny yourself access to the reef, regenerates quite significantly.
The marine protected areas are a government initiative, but Fijians, the traditional fishing rights owners, also do their own. So it is both traditional and governmental.
They can say, “Okay, let’s stop fishing here for a couple of years,” and you see things regenerating.
There are also government marine protected areas across the islands, and we will be doing more of that going forward.
We are encouraging a lot of our people to establish marine protected areas, protect them, and then make some money out of them by getting people to come in for reef tours and things like that.
Because, as you know, there is nothing like a healthy reef, with all the variety of life in there. It is a huge plus for Fiji.
9. As Fiji continues to grow, how do you avoid overdevelopment in the traditional tourism centers?
As I highlighted earlier, we need to build. There is always a fear of being overbuilt. But, as I said, out of 14 provinces, only two are now seeing the kind of growth that is contributing significantly to tourism.
There is still a lot of room for resorts and tourism development in other parts of Fiji.
We want to encourage more development in the outlying islands.
Like every country in the world, migration to the cities from rural areas continues to be a challenge. The beauty about tourism is that it is built mostly in rural areas.
When you build tourism in rural communities, you hold people back in their environment rather than encouraging them to migrate to the city.
People can come to the city for shopping and other needs, but when you move wholesale into the city, you put pressure on services and infrastructure.
So that is a priority for government, to build tourism outside the main urban centers and in other parts of the islands.
10. What types of tourism products would you like to see developed in Fiji going forward?
It will be more overwater bungalows, like the ones you see in Tahiti. There are opportunities for that in many parts of Fiji.
There are beautiful lagoons out there. Once we get investors into those areas, we can see that type of product becoming part of Fiji’s tourism offering.
But in terms of whether Fiji is a safe place to invest: absolutely.
As I said, the incentives we give investors for hotels would be among the best anywhere in the world.
We give very, very attractive incentives to build in Fiji.
11. Fiji is often described as the heart of the South Pacific. How do you see Fiji’s role as a leader for tourism across the region, and how are you working with neighboring island nations rather than simply competing with them?
We are the hub of the Pacific by virtue of the airport and the infrastructure in Fiji.
Many people come to Fiji to study. There are three universities here, as well as technical institutions.
In many ways, regional and global organizations are based here in Fiji, the World Bank, IMF and United Nations, for example. Most of the foreign embassies are based here to look after the Pacific.
In terms of civil aviation, ICAO, the United Nations body based in Montreal, has a liaison office in Fiji.
We also look after our neighbors to help uplift aviation standards.
And in terms of tourism, as much as possible, we want to combine Fiji with the Pacific Islands through multi-destination visits.
We want to see more multi-destination tourism across the Pacific.
You could come to Nadi, go to Tonga for whale watching, and then visit Samoa, for example.
Airline connectivity continues to be a challenge. But Fiji Airways is the most reliable airline in the Pacific right now.
Every island country wants its own airline, but an airline can really break a country if you do not do it right. You know how expensive it is.
Fiji Airways is very well established. It is now a One World partner and has been rated very highly recently, becoming top ten in some areas.
So we offer assistance to our neighboring countries and their airlines. We can even run an airline for them, keep their name, but we can operate it for them.
It is an open kind of community. We are helping each other.
For tourism, we have a body called the South Pacific Tourism Organisation. It is based here in Suva and looks after 14 members across the islands.
Fiji supports the organization and provides the secretariat. I have also chaired it. The Minister of Tourism in Fiji appears to be the leader around here, so we help each other.
We are good neighbors.
In certain parts of the world, people come to the Pacific to do multi-destination trips. Europeans, in particular, want to see as much as they can.
The Americans are now becoming more of a single-destination market, just Fiji, and then back home.
There was a time when 10 hours used to be considered a long flight, but not anymore.
So, yes, we do a lot for our neighbors.
12. For readers in Los Angeles and across California who are considering their next trip, what is your message about why they should choose Fiji? What would you most want them to know or feel about your country?
The experience starts from the time you board, when you are flying with Fiji Airways. The experience you get on board is the experience you are going to get in Fiji.
You are talking about another world, one that is very comfortable, very peaceful and good for the senses.
Anyone can say that when visiting a foreign country, but Fiji, really is another world that is very comfortable and peaceful.
There are people who have come here, like I said, for only a couple of days and ended up extending their stay because it is very hard to find what you have in Fiji anywhere else.
The infrastructure is comfortable. I mean, it is not the best, but it gets you moving around and things happen at a pace that is comfortable.
You are a high-pressure community in California, right? You come to Fiji and time goes by very slowly here.
That is what you will get.
We have had incentive groups from the United States, conventions, and they say, “Gee, we want to go back. We want to go back.”
That is simply the way it is.
