Fiji's tourism sector eyes on Chinese market

SUVA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Tourism Fiji, a tourism marketing arm of the Fijian government, says China is an important market to Fiji sharing a time-honored friendship.

According to Tourism Fiji CEO Brent Hill, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fiji welcomed more than 50,000 visitors from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong alone each year. The Chinese market, Fiji's fourth largest market pre-COVID, was also one of the highest yieldings, contributing 98.5 million Fijian dollars (about 44.2 million U.S. dollars) in tourism earnings.

"Directly engaging with these markets was vital for building relationships," Hill said on Tourism Fiji's website recently.

Tourism Fiji, Fiji Airways, and other industry partners traveled to China this month for a series of roadshows aimed at raising awareness of Fiji as a travel destination.

Fiji Airways CEO and Managing Director, Andre Viljoen said the interest from the China roadshow has been overwhelming.

With trade and media sessions held in Shanghai, Beijing, and Chengdu, Viljoen said Fiji is by far the number one island destination that all the agents want to sell, and all the media want to talk about.

The consistent request for additional capacity and encouraging bookings means Chinese tourists could be back at pre-COVID numbers by the end of 2023, according to Viljoen.

Fiji, a South Pacific island nation with a population of around 900,000, became an overseas destination for Chinese tourists in 2004.

By 2015, with the signing of the Agreement on Mutual Visa Exemption, Chinese visitor arrivals to the island nation increased by an estimated 40 percent.