Faiyaz Siddiq Koya
Minister for Industry, Trade, Tourism, Land and Mineral Resources
2017 TOURISM FIJI INDUSTRY DAY
INTERCONTINENTAL RESORT & SPA
Wednesday, 15 November 2017
NATADOLA
0930 Hours
Chairman – Tourism Fiji, Mr. Andre Viljeon;
Tourism Fiji Board of Directors;
Chief Executive Officer, Tourism Fiji, Mr. Matthew Stoeckel;
Regional Directors of Tourism Fiji;
Tourism Industry Stakeholders;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Bula vinaka, cola vina and a very good morning to you all.
It is a pleasure to be here today to open the second of three Industry Day events. The first one was held in Pacific Harbour yesterday and the last one will be held in Savusavu on Monday, next week.
I wish to acknowledge the commitment of Tourism Fiji to all its stakeholders. By bringing the Industry Day to all the regions, we have made the industry day more accessible to the industry players.
Our objective is to ensure that Tourism Fiji represents and assists the whole of industry, whether they are big and small or are located or operate in Denarau, or in Pacific Harbour, Kadavu or Savusavu.
The purpose of Industry Day is to outline Tourism Fiji’s marketing plans and strategies for the coming year. It provides an opportunity for you to hear and contribute to the marketing strategies of Tourism Fiji. It is a chance to discuss, clarify and identify areas of partnership to implement the marketing plans, going forward.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The role of “industry day” is also enshrined in the Fijian Tourism Development Plan (TF2021). The FT2021 states that to drive demand for Fiji’s tourism brand, open consultation and support from the industry is vital.
Therefore, to revitalise tourism marketing strategies, the annual marketing plan needs the input from the industry players. This will also encourage increased industry participation and ownership of marketing activities. And ensure that our branding message is consistent.
Most importantly, the plan needs to be implemented in coordination with the industry, which is then supported by a monitoring system.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The present facts and figures on the ground shows that our industry is in a healthy position.
The tourism industry is the largest contributor to the Fijian GDP. In 2016, this contribution was approximately 30 percent. There has been steady growth of visitor numbers and earnings from the tourism sector.
Tourism earnings for the first quarter of 2017 has increased by 10.7 percent to $377.3 million, whilst visitor numbers increased by 3.3 percent or 163,226. Visitors numbers until September 2017 has shown a 6.6 percent (622,139) increase compared to same period last year.
With just a month left for this calendar year, we are confident that we will achieve over 830,000 visitors and yield of $1.68 billion for 2017.
However, we cannot rest on our laurels. We need to constantly challenge, reinvent and improve to stay ahead.
The Fijian Government’s vision is to focus on quality tourism. Whether it be accommodation or other tourism products that we provide. Our focus as a nation should be providing the best.
In return, we should be getting the best value for our services and products.
We do not want to compete with other destinations on numbers, as we do not want our delicate ecosystem to be compromised.
It has been noted from studies that unsustainable tourism practices have led to increased air pollution, land degradation, damaged the marine environment and coral reefs, shortage of water resources, to name a few.
Therefore, for tourism to remain the number one industry, it needs to grow in a sustainable manner. In this regard, the Fijian Government is implementing a work programme geared towards sustainable practices in the Tourism industry.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In addition to the 3 Industry Days, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism will host the inaugural Fijian Tourism Talanoa (FTT), on Friday, 17 November 2017. This session will provide an opportunity to create awareness of tourism-related policies and the rationale behind it.
The main aim of the FTT is create dialogue amongst the policy makers and the industry. This dialogue will assist Government in identifying areas where policy intervention is required. It will also update the industry of all the developments that have been undertaken and the plans for the future.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Fijian Government and its agencies are investing extensively in the marketing Fiji, providing of enabling infrastructure, incentivising your investments, and creating better connectivity.
The industry also needs to work with the Government to make the tourism an inclusive sector.
Tourism operators need to work more with the communities to create local linkages. As more micro, small and medium enterprises are encouraged to grow, the benefits of the tourism dollar will flow to the grassroot Fijians.
Furthermore, we need to promote our Fijian products and encourage our visitors to buy authentic Fijian artifacts and continue to strengthen support towards our “Fijian Made-Buy Fijian Campaign”.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Coming back to today’s event, Tourism Fiji’s Regional Managers will be presenting their regional plans – plans of how to leverage Fiji in our traditional, emerging and new markets. In this regard, we look forward to your constructive input to strengthen the marketing plan.
With these words, it gives me great pleasure to officially open the 2017 Industry Day and I wish everyone well in your discussions.
Vinaka vakalevu and thank you.