With the resumption of outbound travel, from April 13 to April 15, Fiji Tourism Board, together with more than 10 partners including Fiji Airways, local hotels, attractions and ground tour operators, made its debut in the Chinese market after the epidemic, and held a roadshow in Qingcheng Mountain, bringing the latest Fiji tourism products to Chinese travel agency partners and welcoming Chinese tourists with a new brand image of "Fiji, born happy".
From 1 April, Fiji Airways resumed direct flights from Hong Kong to Nadi, Fiji, with two weekly flights and is now fully manned. Brent Hill, Global CEO of Fiji Tourism Board, said: "Since Fiji opened its international borders in December 2021, Fiji has welcomed more than 630,000 international visitors in 2022, achieving a strong recovery in local tourism. As an important international source market for Fiji, China hopes to further cultivate the Chinese market and bring Fiji's warm, friendly and natural natural tourism experience to more Chinese tourists. ”
Fiji's islands attract visitors from all over the world with their relaxing getaways and stunning natural landscapes.
It is understood that from February 1 to March 31 this year, the global Chinese market performance is very active, Fiji has received more than 30 Chinese tour groups from all over the world, received more than 2,000 Chinese tourists, received more than 25,990 people in total, booked more than 35,000 nights, and the total order volume exceeded 51 million Fijian dollars (about 160 million yuan).
Brent Hill, global CEO of Fiji Tourism Board, spoke to reporters.
Nandu: Happy Fijians are a very impressive impression of Fiji to tourists from all over the world, so what is the deeper reason why Fijians are happy?
Ho Bo Yin: Although I have not lived in Fiji for a long time, I am also deeply attracted by the happiness of Fijian people, which is why I chose to work in Fiji, which is a special place. I think it's because they live in villages, the social structure is dominated by the model of extended families, they are very supportive and close to each other, they fish together, farm together, share everything in life. And their life is very simple, playing rugby in leisure is very happy, there are not as many material desires as people living in big cities, so their happiness is very simple and real, it can also be said that it is their nature, which is why it attracts many tourists from all over the world. Another reason is that the happiness of Fijians is related to the Fijian landscape, where there are forests, oceans, and sunshine, and it seems that people have no shortage of anything, and everyone treats everyone like family. As soon as visitors arrive at any resort, they will be greeted with a welcome drink unique to Fiji and feel the joy of Fijians.
Fiji is also a famous diving destination in the world.
Nandu: Since February this year, Chinese tourists have returned to the international tourism stage, so how will the opening of the Chinese tourism market affect Fiji's tourism?
Ho Boxian: The Chinese market is very important to us, from the current source market, the largest source market for Fijian tourism is still from Australia and New Zealand, but Chinese tourists are ranked first. This year, we are fortunate to be one of the first 20 countries in China to open up for group tours, and we hope that the number of visitors from China will continue to grow and become an important source of visitors. With Fiji's capacity upgraded (many resorts have been renovated in the past 3 years), I think Fiji is a very suitable destination for Chinese tourists to vacation.
Nandu: If you were to recommend an itinerary for first-time visitors to Fiji, which islands in Fiji do you think are the most recommended?
Ho Boxian: As a resort-type tourist destination, Fiji has rich tourism resources in addition to the friendliness of the locals to tourists, and I can recommend three islands that are worth visiting. The first is the Mamanuca Islands, which are very close to Nadi Airport, about 40 minutes by car, which are relatively large and have many day activities, including various beach resorts; The second recommendation is the Yasawa Islands, and the distance that needs to be about 1 and a half hours by boat gives tourists a sense of tranquility away from the crowds; The third one I would like to recommend is Savusavu, which is an inland town, for me it is more like a virgin land, tourists can pick up from Nadi airport to take domestic flight, the flight distance is about 30 minutes, tourists can sit on the stones in the woods and listen to the running water, if you are a natural landscape tour or honeymoon tourists, this is very suitable for tourists.
Fiji has a wide range of resorts to choose from, and whether it's a day sea activity or a staycation, you can experience all that Fiji has to offer.
Nandu: What do you think is the biggest highlight of Fiji as a resort-type tourist destination compared to other island destinations?
Ho Boxian: I have been to many islands in my life, as a tourist destination, Fijian people's natural happiness is the most infectious place, on the other hand, the diversity of tourism experience, Fiji has 2 large islands, there are many small islands, tourists in Fiji can do different activities every day, such as the first day can choose sea sports; The next day you can go hiking in the forest; On the third day, you can go rafting; On the fourth day it was possible to visit our village. In addition, Fiji also has golf and skydiving activities, which can be said to be new every day, and I hope that tourists can come to Fiji with an open mind and be willing to try new experiences.
Cooking seafood from coconut shells is a famous dish in Fiji.
Nandu: Can you recommend local food for Chinese tourists?
Ho Boxian: I know that Chinese tourists have very high requirements for food, and there are many good chefs and many dishes in Fiji's resorts to attract tourists. We have seafood and our seafood is known for being fresh. Although I am from Australia, Fiji's seafood is still eye-opening, and one dish I particularly recommend is to cook seafood in the shell of the seafood, which is a unique Fijian cooking method, which is a dish that many tourists love. In addition, many of our resorts have their own vegetable gardens with lots of fresh vegetables and Fijian coffee is highly recommended. Outside of the resort, Fiji has plenty of Chinese restaurants and chefs from China. It should be said that Fiji's cuisine is very diverse.
Nowadays, some resorts also offer restaurant services floating on the sea, bringing more vacation experience to visitors.
Nandu: How many days do you recommend visitors to Fiji should stay in Fiji to have fun?
Ho Bo Yin: The direct flight from Fiji Airways from Hong Kong to Nadi arrived at 7am, I recommend staying in Nadi for the first 2 days, walking around the city, getting to know Fiji's terroir, participating in day tours, and then going to the outer islands for an in-depth tour, I recommend a 4-night itinerary to get an in-depth experience of the activities on Fiji's offshore islands and learn about Fijian life. Finally, back to the main island, there is a program that I highly recommend is the helicopter service, which can see the whole of Fiji from above. This will be a very popular Fijian travel experience.
It is understood that Fiji Tourism Board will work with Chinese travel agency partners to further expand the market share of Fiji tourism in China, create highly attractive tourism products for Chinese tourists, and further attract more Chinese tourists to Fiji.
Written by: Nandu reporter Zheng Haihong