Fiji hoteliers: Tourism low continues

By Fiji Times

Hoteliers in Fiji are feeling the pinch of negative travel advisories and the Fijian government's reduced marketing budget.

Negative travel advisories by foreign governments and a slashed marketing budget are taking their toll on hotel occupancy levels in the Northern Division, say hoteliers.

Savusavu Hoteliers Association president Lorna Eden said the occupancy level was lower than expected.

"The average at the moment is 35 to 40 percent and that's not good," she said.

"We are supposed to be coming into our peak period and the occupancy level should be 20 percent more.

"We are hoping for the best and we will not give up."

Mrs Eden said hotels in the North had also place a 40 percent discount on their rates.

"We've done the same as everyone else," she said. "We've put in a 40 percent discount on rates."

"Tourism has not really bounced back as quickly as we hoped."

"It's hard to gauge when it will be back up maybe by July or August.

"It depends if the Tourism Action Group is able to secure more funds from the government so that Fiji Visitors Bureau can continue with vigorous marketing and that would help things recover a bit quicker."

Mrs Eden said the travel advisories, especially by Australia and New Zealand and the cut back in marketing funds for the Fiji Visitors Bureau were having a detrimental effect on the industry.

"This time around, Australia and New Zealand have stuck to the travel advisory they are holding fast," she said.

"Last time (2000) they relaxed it much earlier and the FVB had a lot more funding so that had an effect on tourism."

Last week, FVB chief executive officer Viliame Gavoka said more funds were needed to return the tourism industry to the position it enjoyed before the December 5 takeover.

Mr. Gavoka said even though the interim administration had allocated $10million for the Tourism Action Group and the FVB's operational costs, more funds were needed for aggressive marketing campaigns throughout the year.

Mr. Gavoka said the bureau would be approaching the interim government for an undisclosed amount of extra funding.

Printable Version | published May 22, 2007

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