TravTalk India Online Magazine
Robert Thompson, Executive Director of Regions, Tourism Fiji, says they want to put more focus on the India market, as Indians become one of the top subscribers of their Matai Specialist programme, aiming to boost tourist football.
Hazel Jain
Represented in India by Global Destinations, Tourism Fiji brings into sharper focus arrival numbers from India. This long-haul visa-free destination has appeared in the Indian travellers’ wishlist not just as a standalone destination, but also as a great stop before their Australia and/ or New Zealand holiday.
Robert Thompson, Executive Director of Regions, Tourism Fiji, who was in India recently, says, “Right now, India ranks among top 8-9 in terms of international source market for us. India for us has been an emerging market for quite some time. We now want to give it more focus. Our strategy is to be able to give India the resource and the attention that it deserves, hence pulling it under me directly.” He recently took over the India market from Kathy Koyamaibole.
Globally, Fiji ended 2023 slightly ahead of 2019 numbers. “From India, pre-COVID we had just over 6,000, and post-COVID we are approximately 6,200. So, we are seeing really good numbers. Overall, we are looking at a 4-5 per cent increase in arrival numbers this year. We are being conservative, when in actual fact December 2023 v/s December 2019 from India was 300 per cent up and we are hoping that this trend will continue,” Thompson adds.
Speaking about the Indian traveller, he says that since Fiji has always received a slightly more adventurous Indian traveller, they are known to do everything.
“While some markets like to come in and relax, post-COVID we have seen that most of our traffic wants to enrich themselves and to have a cultural experience. The Indian traveller is no different; our travel service providers get a high proportion of Indian clients who want to do excursions and indulge in cultural experiences,” he adds.
Specialist programme
India has surpassed many of Fiji’s other larger source markets for registrations, Thompson says, in reference to their Matai Specialist programme. Matai means smart in Fijian. Launched two years ago, the NTO has added incentives within the programme that now has three levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold.
“We have seen wonderful subscription from India. This means that there is a real thirst for knowledge for Fiji, which is fantastic! Once they are in the programme and registering all the bookings they are doing, it progresses them through the levels that have various incentives built into them. Once they finish Gold, we list them on our website,” he reveals.
Sustainability initiatives
Post-COVID, Tourism Fiji has zoomed in on sustainability, and has hired a sustainability officer, who has been extremely busy. Thompson says, “We wanted to be clear that we were not greenwashing, so there are initiatives that are meaningful for the environmental and cultural preservation of Fiji. Our first step was to join the GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council). We are working with them to look at how we can set up the criteria and practices for our industry. Some of the initiatives include planting and replanting projects for corals. Coral plantation is using corals that can withstand slightly warmer temperatures and planting into warmer waters. This is something that tourists can also get involved in. They can also adopt a coral and leave with a certificate while leaving the coral in the lagoon.”
