Riya Mala 
Concerns over accountability and governance at Tourism Fiji have been raised in Parliament. Questions have been raised over delayed financial reporting and oversight of public funds.
Parliament’s Standing Committee on Economic Affairs has reviewed annual reports dating back nearly a decade.
Committee Member Premila Kumar questioned the delay in reviewing the 2015 to 2018 reports. She said it was difficult to justify, given the level of public funding Tourism Fiji receives.
“I do recognize the change in board members, but I’m saddened to hear that the board members who were appointed to Tourism Fiji refused to sign the annual report and the financial statements.”
Kumar warned that such delays weaken transparency, oversight, and accountability. She also expressed disappointment that some former board members refused to sign financial statements despite receiving board allowances.
She said future reports should include board assessments, conflict of interest declarations, clear performance targets and measurable outcomes.
Tourism Fiji Chief Financial Officer Vimlesh Magan said delays in audited financial statements were due to unusual events. These included two fire incidents and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A cyber incident that happened one and a half to two years ago kind of wiped out our online data. We lost all the data, so that also took us time to recover. The actual delay started when there was a change in the Tourism Fiji board.”
However, committee members stressed Tourism Fiji must show how tourism spending benefits the economy, local communities and small operators.
They said it should not focus only on promotion.
