While Tourism is the biggest revenue earner for Fiji, it’s important to take stock of its negative effects.

Speaking at the 2019 Pacific Update at the University of the South Pacific, an Economist from New Zealand’s Massey University, Professor Rukmani Gounder noted there are drawbacks as well.

Other than climate change and food security issues, tourism and it’s continued growth in the region also brings challenges that Pacific countries need to be able to address.

“Agriculture sector, agriculture getting smaller and of course the other aspects like building hotels and infrastructure, what is the effects on our waters, on our food, even on our culture itself is also affected. We try to emulate what is externally introduced to us but how we adapt that and link it is what is our choice.”

The 2019 Pacific Update is a three-day event that concludes today at the University of the South Pacific’s Laucala campus.

It’s a platform for policymakers, development partners and academics to deliberate on challenges faced by the region as well as some of the resolutions in practice.

Key discussions focus on gender empowerment, economic development, climate risk, and labor mobility to name a few.