[File Photo]

Regional tourism suffered a major blow during the COVID-19 pandemic with billions of dollars in losses.

Although steps are being taken by various countries to minimize long term effects, Tourism Fiji says more is yet to be done.

The South Pacific Tourism Organization Chief Executive, Christopher Cocker says lockdowns forced people to remain in their countries, therefore the regional tourism industry’s GDP contribution dropped to 1.3% in 2020 compared to 7.8% in 2019.

“In 2020, we only earned about $USD681 million compared to 2019, it was about $USD4 billion.”

Cocker says air arrival to the region dropped by an estimated 83% as the regional had closed its international borders.

“And cruise arrivals dropped by about 73%, so the impact is definitely there. It goes without saying it’s not only us but also the rest of the world in this case.”

Tourism Fiji Chair Andre Viljoen says Fiji tourism stakeholders are not resting on their laurel as they launched a two-year corporate plan to help the industry get back to its feet.

“This plan and its execution are underpinned by the many hundreds of tourism businesses promoting the sector and promoting our country’s unique beauty and the depth of experiences that we offer all our visitors”

Tourism remains the heartbeat of Fiji’s economy with 118,812 tourists arriving in the country since the opening of our border last year.