Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association, 21 November 2024 – Our tourism industry in Fiji is more than just an economic pillar—it’s the heartbeat of our islands. This dynamic sector connects us to the world and shapes countless livelihoods.
As we approach the end of a remarkable year, marked by strengthened foreign exchange earnings that appear to be outdoing what we thought was the most outstanding rebound last year, the unprecedented visitor arrivals and the global accolades for both the destination’s brand and its national airline; it is time to pause, reflect, and strategize for the future.
Can we continue this momentum, given that our room inventory is not expected to make any significant inroads into the current challenge of insufficient numbers that could better match the increasing demand and already increased seat capacity?
Will we be able to lift our performance to ensure we are not outpricing ourselves against our cheaper competitors who have a far lower reliance on imports that include food, beverages and fresh produce, unmatchable access to skilled labour from far higher populations, and are generally larger economies that are closer to their target markets?
With rising labour costs – that is if you can access the skills needed in a local and global environment of major skills disruption, soaring food prices, and with annual inflation reaching 5.3% by August this year; it is not just tourism operators or suppliers reviewing strategies as they prepare for the next 12 months.
And then of course, we must all factor in those many upside and downside risks that include the ones arising from geopolitical tensions and natural disasters, as they inevitably impact every industry and eventually Fiji’s economic outlook in the medium term.
The numerous and often complicated interactions of all the above issues are being discussed, sometimes at the national level when policies are being reviewed or priorities shift to accommodate solutions, and more often at the industry and individual business levels.
The planned General Managers’ Working Breakfast for industry leaders next month that is a collaboration with the Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association, Tourism Fiji and Fiji Airways is one such industry meeting.
This event is more than a meeting; it is an opportunity to hear from the decision-makers at the helm of our industry, share insights, dissect challenges, and explore opportunities that might provide us a better understanding on how we might better navigate an ever-evolving global tourism landscape.
With Fiji on track to welcome what we hope will be around one million visitors this year—a historic milestone—there is a wide appreciation that we must be prepared to continue to demonstrate our continued resilience and be ready to reach our potential.
We realise there are challenges to sustaining growth in the short term and that any medium—to long-term solutions on managing costs and accessing skilled labour will involve even more complexities.
The working breakfast will serve as a vital platform for industry leaders to discuss pressing issues and collaborate on innovative solutions, ensuring Fiji retains its top spot as a destination for many years to come.
Being on track to welcome one million visitors for the first time ever boosts our local economy, creates new business opportunities, provides more jobs, and puts more tax dollars into the Government coffers that can be ploughed back into education, infrastructure, medical services and agriculture.
The data from the Fiji Bureau of Statistics paints a promising picture: over $2.5 billion is estimated to be earned from visitor arrivals between January and September this year alone.
However, resting on our laurels cannot be an option.
We must continue to innovate and adapt to the changing demands of the global tourism market.
How do we do this?
We need to kickstart a significantly underperforming agricultural sector that continues to ignore the fact that the tourism industry must import 60% or more of its fresh produce.
Educators must ramp up their training programs and review their outdated curriculums to address the mismatch of graduate skills to job demands.
The plans for the providers of our water and waste management services must be taken more seriously and allowed to be delivered faster in response to residential, commercial and development demands.
Our energy providers must move faster into the renewable energy space or risk being left behind
We would like to see a faster transformation of the National Development Plans into action and with it the empowerment and accountability of those people who will be tasked with its delivery.
We’re hearing small snippets of positive news like the extension of Taveuni’s Matei airstrip runway which will allow larger ATR aircraft to land there, significantly improving connectivity and opening up new opportunities for tourism in the Northern Division with the development plans for the area starting to take shape.
There are signs the usually slow processing of immigration for foreign workers is improving and we know investment projects for foreign and local developments are moving in the right direction.
The processing of the various business licensing and approvals for regulatory compliance being done online through the Business Now portal is gaining momentum as more processes get added that will recognise already identified business information to improve the ease of doing business.
There is some way to go but understanding that all these elements work together to move the economy forward is critical.
Making the time to discuss, review and consider improvements or plans to continue our remarkable journey and reinforce our resilience is simply one way we create a sustainable future, foster innovation, and empower each other to reach new heights.
But it does not have to be tourism only that does this.
We should all be doing this so that we can better control our destiny, even when the path ahead seems uncertain; by staying adaptable, fostering a proactive mindset, and embracing the opportunities that change brings.
Resilience must be a muscle memory that is constantly in practice so we’re ready for anything.
Well, most things because we certainly never saw COVID coming.
Fantasha Lockington – CEO, FHTA (Published in the Fiji Times on 21 November 2024)
Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association
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