SUVA, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Tourism remains Fiji's growth driver and the country expects 1 million visitors to arrive this year, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism Viliame Gavoka on Thursday at a tourism summit held in Nadi, Fiji's third largest city.
According to Gavoka, in 2023, the industry broke the visitor arrival record, with 929,740 tourists who contributed an estimated 3.2 billion Fijian dollars (around 1.4 billion U.S. dollars) to the Fijian economy, reported Fijivillage news website.
As demand surges, so does the need for new investments, particularly in hotel capacity, he said.
He added that the government has increased the marketing budget through Tourism Fiji and will continue to strategically drive reforms to make it easier for investors, to invest in Fiji and in the Fijian brand.
Tourism Fiji CEO Brent Hill said Fiji is set to enhance its global connectivity with potential new direct flight routes, which are expected to increase accessibility and attract a diverse range of international tourists to the Pacific island nation.
Fiji's tourism industry contributes about 40 percent both directly and indirectly to its gross domestic product (GDP) and has emerged as one of the key sectors, and a significant contributor to economic growth. ■
