Fiji Visitors Bureau is launching a $1 million television and newspaper advertising campaign in New Zealand to encourage Kiwis to begin visiting Fiji after the recent coup.
Backed by Fiji’s TAG, the campaign is funded by the Fiji Visitors Bureau, with assistance from airlines, wholesalers and retail travel networks, with FVB saying that the earlier campaign that offered New Zealanders $499 return airfares, including taxes proved extremely successful with most flights from New Zealand now fully booked to the end of March, with the low cost airfare supported by resort discounts of over 40%.
FVB’s new New Zealand director, Sala Toganivalu, said the new campaign would aggressively promote low cost package deals for island escapes, cruises, short breaks, adventure and family holidays, adding that the deals would remain on sale until March 15, with travel available until June 30.
Ms Toganivalu said the interim Fiji Government had just approved funding of $F3.8 million ($NZ3.3 million) to help with a recovery marketing programme with the latest available visitor numbers for Fiji showing visitors from all markets totalled 545,168 in 2006, down slightly on the record high established in 2005 of 549,911. New Zealand figures were only down 2.7% with 106,246 visitors in 2006, compared 109,006 in 2005, although December figures show New Zealand visitors were down 27% at 6030 compared to 8323 visitors for 2005.
Report by The Mole
