Rituparna Chatterjee – Mumbai
A country in the South Pacific, Fiji is witnessing an influx of several hospitality infrastructure projects. For instance, a Chinese company is setting up a resort complex in three stages with an investment of around US$ 500 million in Fiji. This project, expected to complete within two years, will be managed by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, and an MoU has been signed to that effect. The Pullman Nadi Bay Resort & Spa, scheduled to open within six to 12 months, is opening in Nadi. Moreover, there are several boutique resorts coming up as well. This information was shared by Faiyaz Koya, minister of industry, trade and tourism, Government of Fiji during his recent visit to Mumbai.
Speaking about the ease of investment in Fiji, Koya added, “In terms of investment in any sector in Fiji, we have a corporate tax rate of 20 per cent. IT, tourism companies are investing here. We are also a hub for the entire South Pacific region wherein you have access to about 10 million odd people if you are looking at Fiji and the rest of the Pacific Islands. If you add Australia and New Zealand to this, then you have a bigger number say 30-40 odd million people.”
Meanwhile, Tourism Fiji is targeting all traveller segments from India be it honeymoon, MICE, adventure, wedding, among others. “Our development in terms of marketing Fiji in India is across segments. The roadshows are a start and as we move forward, Tourism Fiji will have more and more ad campaigns. Indian arrivals into Fiji stand at roughly 3500. But for us it is not about the numbers but the yield that comes into Fiji. Indians are the highest spending tourists in the world. We had a small rise in the number but a really huge rise in the yield. We have witnessed a growth of 11 per cent in Indian arrivals during 2015.”
Recently, Fiji Airways, Fiji’s national airline, announced plans to commence twice weekly direct services to Singapore from April 5, 2016. The flights will operate from Nadi International Airport on Tuesdays and Fridays, with flight times to suit onward connections to India and South East Asia. “The start-off is twice a week for now and if it is successful then we will look at three times a week,” added Koya. Speaking about India’s position as a source market, Truman Bradley, chairman, Tourism Fiji opined, “India is an emerging market. The government this year has increased our budget and we are putting more money into India because of the flights from Singapore. ”