FIJI TARGETS
LUXURY TOURISM As Fiji prepares for its first
democratic elections, the country is investing millions revamping one of the economy’s most important sectors: tourism. In May, more than 150 buyers from around the world attended the inaugural Fijian Tourism Expo, held at the Sheraton on the super-exclusive Denarau Island. MARTIN FERGUSON reports
A wind of change is blowing through Fiji. Residents of its 333 islands went to the polls for the first time in the nation’s history on September 17. While the country’s political leaders have yet to be determined, civil servants and permanent secretaries have been working to position Fiji for economic prosperity after the elections. Tourism generates 25% of GDP. Most visitors arrive from Australia and New Zealand, while the volume of Chinese is growing rapidly. Tourism minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum admits the global economic crisis had a negative impact on inbound traffic from the UK and western Europe. But by the start of the expo there was cause for optimism, with the minister pledging new resources to engage with the travel trade in key long-haul markets.
ON THE UP UK visitor numbers rose by 6.6% year on year in the 12 months to May and the forecast, according to Fiji Tourism, is excellent. “We have had market representation in the UK and across
Europe, but the situation with the economy made things difficult,” says Sayed-Khaiyum. “But as we see a slight upturn we now have total focus on the UK and will be working on marketing initiatives to sell Fiji through the trade.” Details of a new campaign targeting
UK luxury agents are expected in the coming weeks. The tourism board has also relaunched the Fiji Matai online training programme for the trade. Brad Rutherford, general manager of
ATS Pacific, an inbound travel company that sells to agents through operators including Travel 2 and Gold Medal, told Aspire: “Fiji has a strong brand and identity. Huge investments are being made and it is a good time to sell.” The British and the Irish, he says, generally fall into one of three categories:
“They are backpackers or people making a stopover as part of a longer trip to Australia or New Zealand. But it is the high-yield packages sold to wealthy couples and families seeking longer, high-end luxury holidays that are most sought-after.” Elizabeth Powell, permanent secretary of developing enterprise and chairman of Fiji Tourism, says luxury agents should focus on selling culture,
64 — aspire september 2014
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100