Expect bargain holiday deals as Fiji tourism slumps

There are six levels of bargains, based on the star ratings of resorts and hotels; at the very top of the grade, price of a five-day stay would be $NZ2,600 ($A2,050).

Holidays must be booked between now and March 1 for travel until mid-June.

McGrath said the Australian packages are being finalised and should be released in early March.

Among other plans in 2009 will be sports packages probably involving rugby, football, golf, lawn bowls, netball and yachting, and some based on music and film festivals.

Fiji tourism leaders theorise that the current global financial meltdown will leave Australians and New Zealanders with less money to spend on their holidays, so they will opt for short-haul rather than long-haul destinations.

This, they believe - and hope - will mean travellers from these two countries, which top Fiji's list of tourist sources, will shelve plans to see New York, London and China and look instead to their tropical island neighbours such as Fiji, less than four hours away by air from eastern Australia.

(Of course, under this line of thinking prospective tourists from Europe, America and Asia could also decide to spend vacations locally rather than come to the South Pacific, but Fiji is concentrating on encouraging the greater numbers of Australians and New Zealanders.)

As well, Air Pacific hopes to tap the growing Chinese market, and provide a new route from Europe, by commencing direct flights between Hong Kong and Fiji in July to replace the Tokyo service where numbers have dwindled in recent seasons.

Among other areas to be targeted are Britain and Continental Europe, North America, India and the Middle East.

Fiji's acting Tourism Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, Mr Tuomoto and its Tourism Fiji chairman Patrick Wong, with representatives of Air Pacific and other companies, spelled out their hopes at a media conference with overseas and local journalists at the national tourism body's headquarters at Namaka, near Nadi.

(Mr Sayed-Khaiyum is also attorney-general and Minister for Justice, Electoral Reform, Public Enterprises and Anti-Corruption in the interim government which was formed after the military takeover in December 2006.)

Speakers hailed a new collective approach to tourism by all sections of the industry, and praised the resilience of the Fiji people, their hospitality and their ability to recover quickly from setbacks.

They said Australians bookings had remained solid over recent months despite a shortfall late in 2008 due to the economic meltdowns, which was followed in January by the severe flooding in western Viti Levu island, swamping Nadi Town and causing 11 deaths and tens of millions of dollars in damage.

Visitors' travel plans were disrupted for some days but most resorts were unaffected.

Two weeks after the floods subsided, 80 per cent of the shops on Nadi's main street were open for business, with some advertising cut-price "flood bargain specials" of clothing and DVDs.

Shopowners told how water from the nearby river was 1.5 metres deep in their stores for several days; the waters subsided to reveal countless potholes in the roads, with traffic slowed since by repair crews.

(Mr Wong suggested at the media conference that the wet season from December to March should be rechristened the more positive green season.)

"We are truly back on track," Mr Tuamoto said. "We have met such challenges in the past but have always bounced back immediately. It's impossible to change the friendly smiles and 'bula' greetings of our friendly Fiji islanders."

Meanwhile, the Australian government has tempered its travel warnings to potential Fiji visitors following the December 2006 coup, saying now only that they should exercise caution, avoid public gatherings and monitor the media for any security risks, especially around Suva - which is 100km or more away from most popular resort areas.

The political situation in Fiji has been delicately balanced since the military takeover which was Fiji's fourth coup since May 1987.

Much of the country is impatiently awaiting word on when a promised democratic election will be called as promised for this year by Interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, but the latter has said new electoral laws would have to be enacted first.

The coup displeased Canberra and Wellington - along with smaller Pacific island nations - while the situation with New Zealand worsened last year when Fiji and New Zealand sent home each others' high commissioners in a dispute over visas.

Possibly as a result, New Zealand tourist arrivals have dropped considerably in the last few months.

Most resort owners agreed that Australian bookings had continued satisfactorily taking into account the deterring factors of the economic and political situations, compounded by the floods.

Tourism leaders hope that three-year forecasts for Australian visitors made in 2007 will still prove realistic following new hotels opening in Denarau near Nadi in the last two years, plus the launch scheduled this May of the giant InterContinental resort and championship golf course at Natadola on the Coral Coast.

The forecast for 2008 was 245,000 but the actual annual total turned out to be 233,801 after a lower-than-expected December figure of 22,454 as the world economic meltdown began to have an effect.

Other predictions were 282,000 for 2009 and 325,000 in 2010, according to Victor Sharan, regional general manager of Air Pacific in Sydney.

Tourism Fiji has launched a new website for 1,500 travel agents around the world in its "Matai" loyalty program.

Fiji recently increased its departure tax from $F40 ($A33.50) to $F75 ($A62.90).

IF YOU GO:

Details of Fiji holidays: call the Sydney office of Tourism Fiji (until January 1 known as the Fiji Islands Visitors Bureau) on 02-3264-3399 or visit www.tourismfiji.com.

Air Pacific (1800-230-150 or www.airpacific.com) and Pacific Blue (136-789 or www.flypacificblue.com) fly between Australian ports and Nadi in Fiji.

The writer visited Fiji as a guest of Tourism Fiji, flying Air Pacific and staying at the Sonaisali, Shangri-La and Westin (Denarau) resorts.

AAP