Gavoka: Openness on HIV, drugs protects tourist confidence

Fiji should be open about its HIV and drug challenges to maintain the confidence of tourists, says Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka.

Mr Gavoka said Government would not hide the challenges facing the country, arguing that openly addressing them demonstrated that Fiji was taking the issues seriously.

He said HIV and drugs were global issues and ignoring them could damage Fiji’s tourism industry.

“Our tourists want to know the truth about the destination they’re visiting,” Mr Gavoka said.

He said highlighting the issues showed that Fiji was taking them seriously and acting responsibly.

Government has established a Cabinet subcommittee to monitor efforts to address HIV and drugs, which meets and briefs Cabinet every two weeks.

“We believe with this kind of focus, with the resources being applied to the challenge, we will overcome the HIV and the drug threat,” he said.

Mr Gavoka urged people not to fear Government’s decision to address the issues openly.

“Visitors expect Fiji to be honest about the challenges it faces.

“We don’t want to hide anything. We want to let you know that yes, we’re a beautiful country. Everything is beautiful here. We do have some issues, but we’re not going to hide that from you.”.

Mr Gavoka said this approach would give tourists greater confidence to visit Fiji.

He said Fiji remained a beautiful destination while recognising that issues such as HIV and drugs required a focused Government response.

Government’s continued monitoring of the issues is aimed at addressing the challenges while protecting Fiji’s tourism reputation.