Sera Navuga 
Deputy Prime Minister and Tourism Minister Viliame Gavoka has warned that Fiji risks losing opportunities in its tourism sector.
He says this is due to a critical shortage of hotel rooms, despite record visitor arrivals.
Gavoka says more inventory is needed to keep up with demand.
“Tourism is thriving in Fiji right now. We had a great year last year, a record year, and the way things are going, it could be similar this year. But it is well known that we need to build more inventory on the ground, more rooms.”
Gavoka adds that while more airlines are increasing flights into the country, the lack of accommodation could stunt growth.
“People know that there are more airline seats coming to Fiji and not enough rooms in the country. So, we are missing out on opportunities by this mismatch between air inventory and ground inventory. So we want to see a lot more building of resorts.”
Viliame Gavoka
To address this, the government is rolling out what Gavoka describes as some of the most competitive incentives in the region to attract investors.
“The government has put in place packages to incentivize people to come and invest in Fiji. And the incentives we have in place will be amongst the best in this part of the world. So please come and build hotels or resorts in Fiji.”
He further assures that government will partner with developers, offering attractive concessions to support long-term sector growth.
Gavoka says successful resorts in Fiji are proof of what commitment and vision can achieve, pointing out that iconic properties have been built by investors who had the faith and courage to believe in Fiji.
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