Sustainable Tourism Talks Point To Higher Value Guests

Positive discussions around sustainability and regenerative tourism are paving the way ahead in the tourism sector, Talanoa Treks Director, Marita Manley said.

The change in sectoral direction is owed in part to the reflection period that COVID-19 brought, when it adversely impacted the operations of the tourism sector.

“A lot of the market intelligence is showing that travellers choose their destinations based on the experiences that are available in those destinations,” Ms Manley told SunBiz.

“We are encouraged by the discussions our members had at 2022 Fiji Tourism Expo, with buyers and media who want to help bring higher value guests to Fiji, keen to get off the beaten track, and spread the benefits of tourism to all areas of the country.”

Historically, Fiji’s tourism industry leaned toward resort-based larger resorts, and was concentrated in the West, she said.

“It is exciting to be having conversations about the importance of experiences out of the hotels, as being a key part of the way guest choose to travel to Fiji,” Ms Manley said.

“It is about connection to culture, people and place, being a key part of that emotional decision of how people choose their holidays.”

Ms Manley is the secretary for Duavata Sustainable Tourism Collective, a group of tourism operators who champion sustainable measures.

“All Duavata members offer experiences that are often not what has been considered mainstream tourism from river rafting, hiking, farm tours, community stays, marine conservation, bird watching,” she said.

Such experiences were increasingly in demand by visitors, she said.

“But there are significant challenges in developing these types of experiences,” Ms Manley said.

While there were challenges on the regulatory side, supporting operators connected to the market to develop e-commerce platforms, she said.

“If you’re a community based operator, based in a rural area, it is not easy to get advice and support to develop a quality kayak or stand up paddling trip through the mangroves, or a traditional fishing trip, or a medicinal plant walk,” Ms Manley said.

“And the limited number of these types of experiences is a reflection of that.”

The Duavata Collective said it was excited that work would resume on the sustainable tourism framework in the next few weeks.

More discussions are expected to be held about the type of tourism that groups, such as the Duavata Collective, want to attract in the future.

Feedback: frederica.elbourne@fijisun.com.fj