The Fijian economy earns a great deal of revenue from the tourism industry, so the tourism infrastructure must be enhanced and sustained. With the consistent efforts of FijiFirst Government, Fiji is attracting more tourists from all over the world to experience the beauty and heritage of our country.
FijiFirst Government has been formative in formulating and implementing policies, initiatives, plans and strategies to develop the Fijian tourism industry while helping it to generate greater revenue as well as retention.
We are working on improving the interactions of service providers with their customers by joining several departments, such as the Immigration Department, Fiji Airports Limited, Fiji Revenue and Customs Services, Air Terminal Services, Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Biosecurity Authority of Fiji, Airport Security (currently Wormald Fire and Security) and the Border Police.
Due to the introduction of these strategies by FijiFirst Government, the Fijian tourism industry grew from $1.9 billion in 2017 to an industry worth $2.2 billion by the end of 2021. The main strategies of the government to achieve this target may be described in a nutshell.
- Building an industry that is resilient, productive and focuses on quality.
- Rigorous marketing of the Fijian Brand in the traditional markets to explore the untapped potential. Also, targeting new and emerging markets in Asia.
- Investing in infrastructure, leading to investment in the tourism industry.
- Influencing quality investment to grow the industry sustainably. Provision of the best tourism industry incentives.
- Rolling out business support programmes that will provide tourism businesses (especially micro, small and medium businesses) with the opportunity to enhance their capability to promote their businesses, taking advantage of international online platforms.
- Capacity building in the tourism industry to enable improvement in standards. Also, targeting specialised training and addressing skills shortages in the tourism industry.
- Enhancing coordination between government ministries and promotion agencies.
- Leveraging of international events, better targeting benefits to Fiji.
- Finally, ensuring the industry is prepared for climate change, global economic shocks and other risks.
Finally, another successful FijiFirst Government initiative is the Fijian Tourism Expo (FTE), Fiji’s premier international tourism industry event. It is a uniquely designed Fijian tourism experience for international buyers and travel trade media hosted by Tourism Fiji, Fiji’s National Tourism Organisation. The event provides a platform for partners in the tourism industry to engage directly with international buyers and travel trade media.
It showcases the breadth and depth of Fiji’s tourism offerings and experiences.