A Million Visitor Is Expected Next Year.
“Investor confidence is strong, with the tourism sector leading investments. “New hotels are in the pipeline with renovations/extension of existing ones.
Saturday 16 December 2023 | 12:51
The Government’s plan to review taxes on tourism aims to better our competitiveness.
The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation welcomed just over 200 people to the Fiji Tourism Convention 2023 at the Shangri-La Yanuca Island Fiji on Friday.
The forum brought industry stakeholders, businesses, and international speakers together for discussions on the top priorities for tourism now and moving forward.
In his opening statement, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka highlighted Fiji’s tourism sector recovery in the last 11 months, including record visitor economy numbers, and the opportunities for further growth in the future.
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“By the end of the year, our visitor arrivals are expected to be four per cent higher than 2019 —reaching a new record. And by next year, we will have received a million visitors,” Mr Gavoka said.
“Tourism earnings for the first half of the year surpassed the same period in 2019.
“Investor confidence is strong, with the tourism sector leading investments.
“New hotels are in the pipeline with renovations/extension of existing ones.
“Our tourism brand was refreshed, making itself known in places we didn’t before.
“Hotels are reporting average occupancy of 80 per cent.
“The national airline, Fiji Airways, not only re-opened all our direct routes but added new destinations and new markets.”
Mr Gavoka said the forum was important to not only discuss the critical challenges facing tourism in Fiji but determine appropriate, workable solutions for them.
“I recall the former Governor of the Reserve Bank, Sada Reddy, saying at the 2010 Fiji Tourism Forum held in Plantation Island Resort, ‘the tourism sector holds huge promise for our country given that most of the other sectors are not performing as well’.
“Over a decade later, we find ourselves in a similar socio-economic situation. I know we fully appreciate relying on one sector is not sustainable.”
He said Fiji had to continue to explore other opportunities, and invest in traditional sectors while harnessing new ones.
“And tourism is very well placed to be that conduit,” Mr Gavoka said.
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