The Attorney-General, Honourable Siromi Turaga,
Assistant Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Honourable, Alitia Bainivalu;
Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Salaseini Daunabuna;
Tourism Fiji Board Chair, André Viljoen,
Chair of ANZ Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards, Debra Sadranu;
ANZ Country Head Fiji, Rabih Yazbek;
Board of Trustees, Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards;
Valued Partners and Sponsors;
The Fiji Tourism family;
Members of the Media;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
Cola Vina!

Please allow me to firstly extend the apologies of the Honorable Prime Minister of Fiji, Hon. Sitiveni Rabuka. He was just as excited to be here to acknowledge the sacrifices and celebrate the success of each one of you in this room.

I’m here with my wife, Ruci, the Attorney-General, the Assistant Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, the Permanent Secretary and my team from the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends,
I’m used to speaking without a written script, but I have been cautioned by my team.

So before coming here, I thought to myself, what would the most fitting words of a Chief Guest be.

Not too long ago, I was sitting next to you — cheering on my companies and associates. So if I were to put my thoughts in one word, it would be gratitude.

Almost two decades ago, I Chaired the Planning Committee for the Fiji Tourism Excellence Awards. That would have been as early as 2007.
So it truly is an honour to address you this evening, and to celebrate the excellence of the people who make tourism what it is.  Of course, in the true Bula spirit, you all look wonderful tonight.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends,
I have been where most of you are today or where you once were.  I started my career in tourism, in sales, in the late 1970s. Back then, Fiji was just beginning to see big hotels in Fiji.

By the late 1990s, we saw integrated developments such as the island we stand on today – and more global brands. When we re-gained Parliament democracy in 2014, confidence naturally grew, and we started seeing new and continued investments.

I recall some of the tourism pioneers from the likes of Dick Smith, Danny Costello, Radike Qereqeretabua, Roy and Rose Whitton, YP Reddy and Reginald (Reg) Raffe, and Dixion Seeto. These were colorful characters.
They were visioners who built the foundation of the industry we take so much pride in today. And I’m proud to see their legacy live on in the next generation.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Last month, I met a gentleman from Australia who are beginning Spartan to Fiji. He spoke about how his parents stayed at the same hotel, in the same room, every year since getting married in Fiji. Isn’t that truly remarkable?

This attests to the hospitality we have shared with open arms to those who choose to visit our home. It attests to your ability to go above and beyond the duty of care.  And, it attests to the memories you create for our guests, so much so, that they choose to return.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
In 1999, we received about 400,000 visitors. By 2019, our record year, it more than doubled to 890,000 visitors — making us an industry valued at 40 percent of GDP.

In 2020, international tourist numbers was said to have gone back to levels of 30 years ago and the direct tourism GDP cut by almost half.
 
Having gone through a life-changing pandemic, multiple cyclones, and economic downturns, we find opportunities. Today, we have recovered 71 percent of our 2019 visitor numbers (higher yields) — paving the way for an anticipated 85 percent recovery of pre-pandemic levels by 2023, with a full return to pre-pandemic levels by 2024. And in 2025, we expect to grow by 3 percent.

Last month, our arrivals exceeded January 2019. Markets such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada all surpassed pre-pandemic January numbers.

Our national airline, Fiji Airways, has set the bar as a carrier. Last week, the CEO Andre, shared some remarkable numbers. January 2023 was another record month — with more seats and more passengers flown than January 2019. Forward bookings looking at the next 12 months too are higher than what they were pre-COVID.

And of course, speaking to so many of you here, hotels are reporting unpreceded bookings for the first quarter alone — defying what was our low peak season.

Investments are taking shape. Yesterday, we saw the launch of Sorena Naisoso, a premier product that adds to our competitiveness. Next week, we will officially launch our new tourism brand, “where happiness comes naturally”. And I congratulate Brent and his team. 

These advances have ushered in a renewed economic outlook. In the medium term, we anticipate a broad-based growth of 6 percent this year, followed by 3.8 percent in 2024 and 2.4 percent in 2025.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
These numbers — our recovery — means more jobs. It means more shifts, greater demand for food produce, more opportunities to invest.
It’s not just jobs in hotels, airlines and airports, but across the country.  A smallholder farmer in Ba that supplies eggs or a dairy Co-operative in Tailevu supplying hotels also earn a living. That’s the greatest measure of success.

Strategic planning will be crucial moving forward.  That’s what the National Sustainable Tourism Framework endeavors to achieve, stronger synergy with other socio-economic pillars of the Fiji economy.
 
Now, as we recover and grow, so does the realization of the industry’s vulnerability and the value of our greatest assets—our people. 
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
For us at home, resilience is a lot more than a vocabulary. It’s a way of life we learnt to embrace, long before the pandemic. We’ve proven our resilience in the past, we’re proving it today — and we most certainly will in future.

These record numbers reflect your sacrifices, your compassion, and your commitment. I salute you.

You’ve had to stay away from family during lockdown; you’ve had to work shorter hours with reduced income; you’ve had to worry about putting food on the table and paying bills; you’ve had to train yourselves to facilitate testing and isolation or work multiple roles; you’ve had to let go of some of the oldest members of your team.
 
None of this would have been easy. For that, we are truly indebted to you. Vina’ vakalevu.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your success is our success. When the tourism industry thrives, so does the economy and related sectors. And when the economy prospers, so do the lives of our people and communities.

We build roads that connect people and markets, we invest in education and health care, we take water and electricity to the remotest communities.

That is the bottom line. So how can we ensure your success.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The People Coalition’s Government places the highest priority on genuine dialogue.
 
I know those who stood here before me have shared Fiji’s record-breaking economic growth and the achievements of Government. But I’m not here to do that. I’m here to share what we intend to do. I’m sure later in the evening we will have some quick exchanges. Your views matter. They matter to me, and they matter to this Government.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Next month, we will begin public consultation on the 2023-2024 National Budget. With the critical role tourism will play, I urge you to contribute — to work with us.
 

• We will host the National Economic Summit and bring back a Tourism Convention;
• We will create a level playing field to encourage smaller operators, resource owners establish new experiences;
• We will inculcate at the core of our policies elements of sustainability;
• We will carry our tourism brand to new markets; and
• We will ensure our benefits are genuinely equitable.

 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As I look around the room, I can see how the Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards has evolved. This year, I’m told the categories have gone from thirteen to twenty, with record entries.

This shows there are a great many of you that have proven your ability to move past the hardships and excel in service delivery — and that your peers and your clients believe in your work ethics.

Whether you are a luxury hotel, a culture champion, climate leader or a wedding or dive operator – you are all key pillars that keep the industry moving forward.

One thing I won’t miss is making the hard decisions on the winners!
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Before we get back to our evening, I would like to acknowledge the commitment by all of you in continuing the ANZ Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards.

I would also like us to thank our partners. We have had industry support, bilateral support, development partner support and private sector support — whose tremendous efforts have put us on an accelerated path to recovery. A special thanks as well to the ANZ for your continued confidence and long-time partnership.

Finally, I extend my warmest congratulations to the winners and nominees of the 2022 ANZ Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards.
Just as our visionaries embarked on a journey, we too can build on one that heralds a historic turning point. Creating the future, we want means all hands on deck.

Vinaka vakalevu.