A report in the Fiji Times On Line says that the country’s interim Minister for Tourism Bernadette Rounds-Ganilau is still waiting for the interim Government grant to help the Fiji Visitors Bureau get on with various promotions to lure tourists back to Fiji’s shores.
Mrs Rounds-Ganilau said the $3.8million would go a long way in restoring tourism, one of the biggest foreign earners in the country.
“But we are still waiting,” she said on Saturday.
Tourism took a knock after the takeover in December and many resorts around the country are giving initiatives to attract tourists.
FVB chairman Patrick Wong expressed concern over the $3.8million grant from the interim Government. He said $1.5million was given last month and there was an outstanding balance of $1.6million remaining.
“This money is from the bureau’s revised budget allocation of $10million.”
“The $3.8million grant is a separate allocation from the bureau’s annual budget which was to supplement the industry following the drop in tourist arrivals last year.”
He said tourists from Australian and New Zealand destinations made up a large proportion of the 65 per cent tourist bookings for the July-August period.
Plans are also underway by the FVB to use an airline company to establish cost-effective tourism holiday packages targeted for the Northern Division.
FVB director marketing Cheryl Watson said this included sending educational and press visits to the North, adding, “We plan to expand the bureau’s relationship with Pacific Sun to establish cost-effective way of sending educational and press visits to the area”.
In earlier reports, it said the FVB’s promotions piqued the interest of the Australian tourist market to the point where it was slowly recovering from post-coup difficulties.
Report by The Mole
