Luring West

Coast Americans

To Fiji

From SUE WENDT, in Suva Fiji’s Chief Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, last year spoke of tourism as “manna from the

sky”. The way things are shaping

up, Fiji looks like receiving so much manna that it may find it self suffering from mild indiges tion.

Although established hoteliers still complain of accommodation “lows”, travel agents are turning away busi ness during the peak periods. To complicate matters, the peak periods follow a changing pattern.

It’s somewhat bemusing to watch the soaring monthly tourism figures.

In May, there was a remarkable 53.2 per cent, increase over May, 1968.

The total for the first five months of this year was 30,793 —an increase of 26.6 per cent, compared with the same period last year.

How to cope with the increasing number of tourists? Harvey Hunt, a director of Fiji’s largest travel agency, Hunt’s Travel Service, has the answer,

"Lack of information"

“What we need,” he says, “is a 300-room beach resort on the Coral Coast.”

Doyens of the local industry, Iris and Harvey Hunt have spent the last two and a bit months promoting Fiji on the Canadian and US market.

They found, they said, an

Iris and Harvey Hunt.

“astounding lack of information” about Fiji in Toronto and Montreal but came away convinced that West Coast Canadians, at least, were ready to be lured to this part of the South Pacific.

It was impossible. Iris Hunt pointed out, to make an accurate estimate of the number of Canadian and US visitors we could expect. But the figures she gave for the booming convention business were staggering.

“Toronto’s Royal York Hotel, with two floors devoted to convention facilities, is booked up until 1985,” she said.

“We’ve been plugging the need for convention facilities in Fiji for years.

Convention business is BIG business.

“Thousands of Americans are booked to attend Australian conven tions—such as the Orchid Convention in September and the Rotary con vention in May, 1971. There’ll be 20,000 going through for that.

“We’ve been asked to find accom modation for 2,000 —1,000 each way.

"Tag along"

“All Fiji needs to do is tag along and catch people going and coming.

If we can find the accommodation, that is.”

The only hotel in Fiji with proper convention facilities is the Trade winds in Suva, although the Grand Pacific Hotel is currently building convention rooms.

The Hunts believe that West Coast Americans and Canadians can be persuaded to overlook the high air fares to Fiji, once they’re aware that Fiji’s accommodation and food costs are much, much cheaper than any where else.

“Have a look at this restaurant menu, from Honolulu. One potato costs 75 cents,” said Mrs. Hunt. • The Governor of Fiji, Sir Robert Foster, has agreed to open Fiji’s ninth tourism convention, to be held at the Suva Civic Centre from October 22-24. The theme of this year’s convention is to be “Tourism Partner in Progress”.

Guest speakers at the Convention will be Mr. John D. Bates, chairman of the Australian Tourist Commission; Mr. Melville B. Grosvenor, editor in-chief and chairman of the Board of the National Geographic Society in Washington; Mr. Robert H. Burns, general manager of the Kahala Hilton Hotel in Honolulu; and Mr.

Russ Gribble, the Fiji Visitors Bureau manager for Australia. The Convention chairman will be Mr.

Raman Nair, Commissioner for Fiji’s Western Division,