The level of competition Fijian tourism will face in enticing tourists to our shores when borders re-open would be intense.

Speaking during the Nadi Chamber of Commerce and Industry business forum at the Tanoa International Hotel in Nadi yesterday, Attorney-General and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said the level of competition against other tourism markets would be high.

Pukhet, Thailand

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said Pukhet in Thailand was now offering USD$99 (FJ$209.92) for five nights as five star hotels in Bali aimed for a lion’s share of the market.

He said competition between hotels was tough, as rates reduced at the cost of making a loss for the first few months.

“That’s what we have to understand.

“That’s the level of competition that we have to face.

“When you have 600,000 Australians losing their jobs in one month, the ability of the Australian market to travel is not there, because the disposable level of income for them is not there.”

Fijian Economy

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said while tourism contributed a major part of the Fijian economy, there were other ancillary services and businesses linked to the tourism industry.

He said people often forgot other sectors when talking about tourism and its contribution of 40 per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic product (GDP).

Garment industry

He said the garment industry employed around 8000 Fijians, most of whom had lost their jobs, or had reduced working hours because of the drop in demand for what they manufactured.

The coronavirus presented a challenge not only to us, but all countries in the world.

He said: “Never before has the world been so highly globalised.”

Pacific islanders quarantine in Fiji

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said Tuvalu citizens who were repatriated or were returning from medical treatment in India, were being quarantined in Fijian facilities.

He said the Tuvalu Government paid for the expenses for the period of their citizens’ stay in Fiji, which included their hotel bills.

“We recently had citizens from Tuvalu and Kiribati who had some of their citizens returning from India after medical treatment, and had paid for them to stay in Fiji for 21 days before returning home.”

CareFiji App

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said the CareFIJI App for coronavirus (COVID-19) monitoring would play an important role in Fiji’s economic recovery, as far as tourism and foreign investments were concerned.

He said it was important that Fijians downloaded the app and kept the app turned on.

Feedback: charles.chambers@fijisun.com.fj