Assistant Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Honourable, Alitia Bainivalu;
Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Salaseini Daunabuna;
Tourism Fiji Chair, André Viljoen, and Board Members;
Tourism Fiji Chief Executive Officer, Brent Hill;
Management and Staf
f of Tourism Fiji;
Industry Colleagues;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Bula Vinaka everyone, and a very good afternoon.
It is a pleasure to join you all again today, to mark another very significant milestone for Team Fiji. So thank you for having me.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Travel and tourism is about desire – it’s about connection and telling a story, our story. Now in marketing terms, a brand is chosen to resonate with our visitors. It is chosen for competitive advantage – and in the fast-paced world we live in – it should withstand the test of time.
A brand is a direct reflection of your values as an organisation or business. In the case of tourism destinations, it personifies our national values that inspire and draw the world to our home.
For the most part, it becomes part of an identity, not just as a marketing arm or Government agency, but the entire nation and its people.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Following the “Fiji Me” brand, for the past decade, we proudly carried “Fiji – where happiness finds you”. This gave visitors the assurance that when they visit our shores, they will be sure to find happiness.
Every one of us is in pursuit of happiness. For us in Fiji, happiness is in the songs we sing, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, and the company we keep. We own happiness like no one else and we should never take that for granted.
Our success with this brand is because of the many tourism ambassadors we have, who share the same pride as we do. The Fiji Airways cabin crew, the airport staff, the cab driver, the front desk attendant, the shopkeepers, the tour guide, the pool attendant.
Every act of kindness, of exceptional service, of warmth is what a tourist remembers.
WHERE HAPPINESS COMES NATURALLY
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have visited many countries around the world. Countries who have the seven wonders of the world, that have 5-stars hotels in every city, countries that boast MICHELIN-starred restaurants and more sun, sea and sand than we do.
But in all my travel, while I’ve received some of the highest levels of service — the genuineness of our hospitality and the warmth that we see in our people, remains unmatched.
And there is never a greater feeling than the feeling of returning home.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the ANZ Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards, I shared a story where a gentleman was convinced hospitality staff were paid to smile. It was only when he travelled past communities in Fiji where every person he passed smiled and waved at him, then he knew we couldn’t possibly be paying everyone in the country to smile.
People actually take classes on how to smile and how to greet customers. Here in Fiji, it comes naturally. You will find happiness in:
our Sunday tradition of inviting passers-by for lunch with a ‘mai vasigalevu’ the taxi driver Rajesh who picks you at the airport and shares stories right through until you are dropped off the women selling ivi along the main highway — or the boys playing rugby, shouting ‘Bula’ to passing buses and cars you see it in our pristine environment — from our mountains and rivers to our islands and oceans you see it in the Kids Club, where nannies are like mothers.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The pandemic was hard on Fiji, but we saw the spirit of our nation, the resilience, the desire to outshine through the tough days. We realised that our warmth, joy and natural hospitality comes from within. That is what Fiji is truly about and to see this weaved into our new brand just reinforces what a special nation we are.
We have had an incredible year since reopening. So there is no better time than now to roll out the new brand that connects the world to our culture and to our people.
The campaign, Where Happiness Comes Naturally, speaks to the growing desire for meaningful tourism to our visitors, while acknowledging our rich history and heritage — as you see in the masi motifs. The designs capture our diverse blend of cultures held dear to Fiji. Wati, vinaka vakalevu for creating a very huge part of our brand identity.
To the Tourism Fiji Chair, André, CEO Brent, Chief Marketing Officer, Emma, thank you for your leadership in this. A big vinaka as well to our agency partners for capturing our people and paradise so beautifully.
Before I take my seat, I would like to take this opportunity to offer a token of appreciation to Ms Wati Talavutu for her wonderful contribution towards the creation of our new logo.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
With these words, I wish you all a successful year ahead and formally launch the celebration of our new brand — “Fiji – where happiness comes naturally”. We certainly have more than enough to share.
Vinaka vakalevu.