For the first time in Fiji Tourism Expo’s (FTE) history, the president of the Republic of Fiji, inaugurated the two-day tourism trade event held recently at the Denarau Island Convention Centre, Sheraton Fiji Resort. FTE is the island destination’s premier tourism event hosted by Tourism Fiji
When you land at the Nadi International Airport, you are greeted with smiling faces that chant ‘Bula’. Bula (pronounced as boolah) is a word in the Fijian language that literally means ‘life’ and is most commonly used as a greeting. Offering perfect weather all year-round , this sun-kissed collection of more than 300 volcanic islands surrounded by azure-seas and coral atolls, Fiji is home to the friendliest people on the planet. To drive tourism to the islands, Tourism Fiji organises the Fiji Tourism Expo (FTE) every year. The event provides a cross-sectoral platform for partners in the tourism industry to engage directly with existing and new international industry partners. For over two busy days of appointments and schedules, international buyers from nearly 21 countries including new markets like India had the opportunity to meet and engage with the Fijian tourism industry.
Speaking at the FTE opening ceremony held at The Waitui Beach Club, Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa, H E Major General (retd) Jioji Konrote said, “Fiji has seen an increase in number of visitor arrivals to 792,300 with an increase of 2.7 per cent in visitor spend. Nearly 21 countries are participating at FTE and I am glad the Fiji tourism industry is using this platform to strengthen existing partnerships. The Fiji Rugby team which won the Olympic gold in Rio (the country’s first) are a fine example of working together as a team to achieve our goals.”
Andre Viljoen, chairman, Tourism Fiji and managing director and CEO, Fiji Airways said, “Tourism is vital to Fiji’s economy and we have tremendous advantage of being Fiji’s national carrier – the natural hospitality of Fijians combined with delivery of new aircraft, making it the youngest airline in the region.”
He added, “2016 was a record year for visitor arrivals. Our target is to reach FJD 2.2 billion in 2021 and for this we have a strategy in.place. Fiji Airways will soon be flying directly to Adelaide and other cities in Australia and we expect that the recent agreement with Indian carrier, Jet Airways will connect a lot of Indian cities to Fiji and increase tourism numbers.”
Speaking on the sidelines of the FTE 2017 in Nadi, Fiji tourism minister, Faiyaz Koya said that Fiji Tourism sees great growth from emerging markets like India and China. Koya said, “We see India as a country with a lot of potential for Fiji Tourism and we have been concentrating on growing the India market. But we wanted the right connectivity. Now with Jet Airways which connects more than 20 Indian cities, we have the right partner to push numbers to our country.”
Mathew Stoeckel, CEO, Tourism Fiji, informed that 2016 was a great year for Tourism Fiji. “We saw a five per cent growth in visitor arrivals. And this was despite challenges like Cyclone Winston. So we are looking at 2017 with a positive outlook. We have lots of new products in the luxury segment like Sheraton Tokoriki Beach Resort, Marriott Momi Bay, among others. Fiji is not just about family holidays but also high end luxury products.”
He added, “The recent modernisation project at Nadi Airport is in line with our tourism focus. We also expect to drive tourism from emerging markets like India on the back of our new Fiji Airways service from Singapore.”
Stoeckel also revealed that as part of Tourism Fiji’s digital marketing strategy, a famed Bollywood celebrity will be flown in courtesy Fiji Airways to be taken around the islands and the video will be run on social media like YouTube to promote the destination in India. “We are investing big resources in the emerging markets. This digital campaign will be give big lift to our brand awareness,” he added.
Koya stated that the ministry is interested in promoting cruise tourism especially in Suva. He said, “But our first priority will be to focus on developing port infrastructure. We are also looking at investment. We want more and more people to invest in Suva.”
Fiji is also getting to be known as a sports tourism destination. The country’s first Olympic gold medal was brought home by the Fiji Rugby team who made a brief appearance at the FTE. But the tourism minister was quick to point out that all development will be done in a sustainable manner. “Growth in all our destinations will have to be economically viable and must be sustainable,” he emphasised.
Renowned tour operators from India including Cox & Kings, Veena World, Flight Shop, Wingspan Holidays and Glotrip participated in FTE this year. Navina Bhade, incharge – destination management (Signature Holidays), Veena World, opined, “Fiji being an expensive destination, we would have to combine the package with Australia or New Zealand in order to make it appealing to the India market.”
Rakesh Pandey, assistant manager (product & operations) felt that FTE as a trade show provides opportunity to know more about Fiji as a destination and the service providers in Fiji which helps tour operators provide better services to their customers. Visitor arrivals from India to Fiji presents huge opportunities for Fijian tourism, especially after the recent signing of the codeshare agreement between Fiji Airways and Jet Airways.”
FTE saw participation from leading Fiji tour operators and DMCs including Rosie Holidays. Started in 1974 by Rosie Gockhai and husband Roy Whitton, Rosie Holidays has become an iconic organisation in the tourism industry, both within Fiji and internationally. It is a family owned DMC providing professional and personalised ground services including airport welcome, world class ground transportation, online hotel bookings and tour desks at all major resorts.