Website gives group offerings
The new website fijiresorts.com will give you an array of what the Mamanuca Group has to offer from the longstanding powerhouse resorts who have withstood the test of time and cyclones; and the newer resorts. Take your pick from the option of booking an island for yourself at Wadigi Island, the classy boutique resorts like Vomo Island or the best surf in the region with Tavarua Island Resort. . . the choice is yours. The website will allow your appetite to be whetted with the fascination and mystery these majestic islands have to offer.

Emerging markets
The Fiji Visitors Bureau has started looking north to Asia and South America as potential big markets for the future. Initial forays with participation in trade shows and the support of wholesalers last year has identified these areas as medium-term and possibly long term markets for Fiji. More has been done this year with the translation of destination material into Mandarin for the Chinese sector; and a press and travel industry familiarization visit initiated by Air New Zealand with brochure support in India and South America.

Airlines offer special rates into Fiji
Special rates have been offered by regional airlines to attract visitors from Australia, New Zealand, USA and Europe back to Fiji. Air Pacific, Air New Zealand, Pacific Blue and QANTAS have been running special rates from February continuing on to this May. The airlines, resorts owners, transfer companies and wholesalers have been working in tandem to offer the best rates which has seen unexpected visitors arrivals going up.

 

Pacific Sun excels in maiden voyage
Travelers on the maiden flight of the Pacific Sun from Nausori to Labasa were ecstatic at the improved service by the local airlines; a subsidiary of Air Pacific. “It is so much better than the smaller planes we used to fly on,” says a visitor Ashwin Maharaj on a connecting flight from Auckland. Maharaj, who was visiting with his wife and three kids said the flight and service provided was equally impressive on the Auckland-Nausori flight. Company general manager Manoa Kamikamica said the response from the travelers was tremendous.

Embrace the Bula spirit
Visitor organizations have urged the country to embrace the Bula Spirit to recover lost tourism revenue in the last four months. “Everyone must fully and truly embrace the Bula Spirit campaign,” said one of the organizers, Tourism Action Group chairman Damend Gounder. Gounder said the groups have conducted workshops under this campaign and this included potential tourists for Nadi, Yasawa, Mamanuca Group, then Coral Coast, Suva and the Northern Islands. “We have attracted in excess of 120 organisations of over 350 participants who have already gone through this programme which is a train the trainer concept programme.”

FVB targets virgin ground
The Fiji Visitors Bureau is targeting virgin ground to broaden horizons for the tourism industry in Fiji. FVB chairman Viliame Gavoka said the tourism national summit was recently held in Savusavu on the island of Vanua Levu because there was huge potential for tourism development there. “We held the Tourism National Summit in Savusavu, in the island of Vanua Levu, because there is a huge potential over there,” Gavoka said. “From there you can go to Lomaiviti, the Lau Group and the northern parts of Tailevu.” But Gavoka said he wanted to make sure Fiji was fully receptive towards tourism for the initiatives to take effect.