Bula Vinaka!

It is my pleasure to join every Fijian in marketing the 42nd Anniversary of World Tourism Day.

This year’s theme “Rethinking Tourism”, reminds us of the challenges we have faced. It also reminds us of our strength and our ability to harness challenges into opportunities as we look ahead.

On this day last year, we were preparing, with much enthusiasm, for Fiji’s re-opening. By December 2021, we opened our doors, our homes, and our hearts to the World. The Fijian Government also reaffirmed our collective commitment — as a nation — to build back better, stimulate decent jobs and transform to a greener economy.

The Fijian economy is now well placed in our recovery. As of August 2022, we have already recovered 60% tourism numbers from the same period in 2019. This means, we have achieved 72% of our visitor arrival target for the year, and by 2024, we expect a full recovery.

So, if we look back to the last two years, we have, as a nation, endured a once-in-a-century pandemic that brought the Fijian tourism industry to a halt. As a Small Island Developing State, we were further challenged by natural disasters. And today, as we begin to recover, we are marginalized by worsening supply chain disruptions–adding to inflationary pressures.

In line with this year’s theme, this is now our call to rethink tourism. We know from experience that the future of tourism relies on embracing the pillars of resilience, sustainability and inclusivity. This means putting people and the planet first and bringing everyone from governments and businesses to local communities together around a shared vision for a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient sector.

With these few words, I wish everyone a happy “World Tourism Day.”

Vinaka vakalevu.