The 2014 International Visitor Survey (IVS) will help stakeholders towards the progress and development of the tourism sector.

These were the words of Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism Faiyaz Koya at the launch of the report at Civic Towers in Suva yesterday.

Mr Koya said the Fijian Government recognised the Fijian Tourism industry as a key sector.

“This sector is not only the largest contributor to the Fijian GDP, but is the largest employer and also an industry with the most foreign direct investments,” Mr Koya said.

He said in order to develop appropriate policies in the fast changing travel and tourism environment, policy makers needed to have access to real time tourism related data.

“The IVS is a major initiative of my Ministry that provides the right information for both the policy makers and the industry,” he said.

Mr Koya also said the Fijian Government had set a target of creating a FJ$2.2 billion industry by the end of 2021.

The report is aimed at providing valuable findings important in ascertaining tourists’ preferences and experiences over time.

The 2014 IVS covered a sample of over 4,000 visitors.

About the Report

The IVS report provides a quantitative and qualitative assessment of visitors.

It also provides timely, comprehensive and accurate information on the characteristics, behaviour and expenditure of overseas visitors to Fiji.

Key findings of the survey include visitor numbers and main reason for visit, visitor demographics, nights spent in Fiji, method of travel arrangements, information sources about the industry, expenditure patterns and visitor impressions.

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