Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association,12 September 2024 – As we mentioned last week; the countdown to the end of 2024 is already underway with Fiji’s tourism industry buzzing with excitement for several reasons.
Coming off a peak season where July added $ 351 million to our visitor economy with just shy of 100,000 visitors that marked a +5% increase year-on-year, we await the August figures to perhaps bolster July in breaking 2023’s same record month of earnings and arrival numbers.
The industry will not stand still over the next 3+ months, with an array of events and initiatives that promise to drive further growth and strengthen our position as a premier destination in the Pacific that is pushing adventure and nature-based tourism to the next level.
Fiji’s tourism calendar is packed with major industry conventions, exciting events to take part in, trade shows with competitions leading up to them, and global sporting events as we gear up for the usually wetter and hotter season to see the year out.
Tourism Fiji’s recent update on the Mastercard Quarter 2 Tourism Insights report provided valuable data that reaffirms Fiji’s strong appeal among travellers, while also offering key insights and recommendations on areas where we can continue to improve.
One of the standout metrics from the report is Fiji’s impressive Product Satisfaction score of 86%, surpassing the Pacific Island average of 73%, underscoring the high quality of services and experiences that visitors consistently enjoy when they choose Fiji as their holiday destination.
While our Global Satisfaction score is around the average at 76%, and something we need to work hard on to lift; the higher Product Satisfaction reflects our ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional experiences, from a range of resort styles to unique cultural offerings.
When it comes to room rates, the report highlights that Fiji remains competitively priced compared to other Pacific Islands, particularly in 3-star, 4-star, and 5-star categories.
This affordability, paired with the high-quality experiences on offer, makes Fiji an attractive option for a wide range of tourists.
Additionally, the report sheds light on spending habits, showing that a significant portion of visitor expenditure goes toward accommodation (71%), with retail and restaurants trailing behind.
A clear indication of where opportunities exist to enhance offerings in other areas, such as dining and entertainment to capture a larger share of in-country spending, but only if businesses looking to capitalise on this opportunity can find the skills they will need to provide the service and food quality being expected.
FHTA is doing what it can to create awareness, provide discussion platforms or amplify training opportunities within these spaces.
Kicking off in Suva next week and then moving around the country, the highly anticipated HOTEC Competitions commence to bring together some skilled professionals competing in the Chef, Barista, and Cocktail categories.
Celebrating talent, displaying flair and honed skills; these competitions help us elevate the standards of service across Fiji’s tourism and hospitality sectors and acknowledge the need to consistently build on skills training and further develop our pool of resources that move between local and international hospitality brands and sectors.
We have to continually upskill and challenge our workforce to ensure we can offer a world-class service experience at every touchpoint that helps to maintain our competitive edge in the global market.
If we continue to lose the skills at the rate we are currently without critically changing the way we address the gaps this results in with our workforce, then we’re leaving ourselves open to eventually losing the high demand for Fiji as a destination we have worked so hard to create.
That Global Satisfaction score of only 76% no doubt reflects one of the industry’s biggest challenges to replace constant staff churn and lost skills within preferred timeframes.
More critically, if we cannot access the upskilling or even basic training this calls for, then the industry must work harder to address the shortfalls. In this area too, we are working diligently to support increased in-house training modules where we can continue to discuss our skills gaps with local training providers or look externally to international training organisations that can better deliver training modules designed to deliver exactly what the industry wants within the timeframes it desperately needs.
The demand is high and critical, and the response from local providers is slow or often ineffective with training institutions telling us these changes need time – time we do not have, especially in light of the rapidly increasing room inventory being rolled out over the next few years.
Interestingly, many of these same training institutions have been able to quickly adopt aged care training programs that receive lucrative funding or are happily paid for by people wanting to use the certification to work overseas as the demand for aged care in first-world economies ramp up to levels that can swallow the populations of small island economies.
So it might be time for us to look further afield if local training providers are not willing to change their training programs to suit industry demand.
The Tourism Convention – taking place September 26-27 in Nadi, provides one such platform for meaningful dialogue between the private sector, government bodies, and key stakeholders that focuses on shaping future industry development.
With the theme “Tourism Together,” the convention endeavours to foster wider collaboration on critical issues like identifying future infrastructure demand, raising awareness on development plans, discussing progressive work being undertaken on challenging business processes and generating dialogue that ensures that tourism policies and strategies are aligned with both industry needs and broader economic goals.
The event will into skill loss impacts and also delve into sustainable tourism practices, exploring how Fiji can continue to grow responsibly while protecting its natural resources.
Industry stakeholders are strongly encouraged to attend, as this convention will undoubtedly play a significant role in driving the future of tourism in Fiji.
The HOTEC Trade Show is also gearing up for its exhibition (24-25th Oct) at the Sheraton Fiji Golf & Beach Resort, with the exhibition space now fully booked, and competition finals and program format almost there. Highlighting the strong demand among suppliers, businesses and industry participants to be part of this major event.
The sold-out exhibition will feature a diverse mix of local and international exhibitors from around the region; presenting an impressive array of innovative products and services aimed at enhancing tourism operations in the Pacific.
Then in November, Fiji will again host the 2024 Fiji Spartan APAC Championship, a major international event that promises to shine a global spotlight on the country as an exciting adventure destination.
Taking place from November 14-17 at the Aviva Race Course in Sabeto, the Spartan Race is a thrilling obstacle course challenge that attracts participants from around the world. Participants include fitness enthusiasts, trail runners, adventurers eager to test their endurance in a unique setting, and weekend warriors eager to leave the corporate world behind for some healthy mental and physical stimulation.
The Spartan APAC Championship presents an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in supporting the event by promoting it within their networks, forming teams to participate and getting their game faces on!
Especially as there are categories for beginners, seasoned athletes, kids, and corporate teams, making the event inclusive, fun and challenging, depending on how hard you are willing to work.
Like others before, the event is another way we highlight Fiji’s diverse offerings with world-class events and adventure tourism.
This global tourism prominence continues to rise, notably through our stellar performance at the 2024 World Travel Awards where Fiji clinched several prestigious titles.
Kudos to the Tourism Fiji team who brought home the award for Oceania’s Leading Tourist Board for the second consecutive year and having Fiji also named Oceania’s Leading Adventure Tourism Destination, reinforcing our appeal to travellers seeking exhilarating experiences.
Kudos to Team Fiji Airways who made their mark as well, winning accolades for Oceania’s Leading Airline Lounge with its luxurious Premier Lounge at Nadi International Airport, and winning Oceania’s Leading Inflight Magazine Award for the engaging content in FijiTime.
Additionally, several tourism operators garnered recognition such as Sigatoka River Safari as Oceania’s Leading Adventure Tour Operator and Likuliku Lagoon Resort as Oceania’s Leading Beach Resort.
Well done to all our hard-working destination and industry teams who continue to wave the Fiji flag loudly and proudly.
As we count down towards the end of the year and cross our fingers towards perhaps welcoming our ONE MILLIONTH visitor or getting really, really close to that number; rest assured we’re sliding in with 2025 already being diligently planned for.
Fantasha Lockington – CEO, FHTA (Published in the Fiji Times on 12 September 2024)
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