Bainimara sets

new 90s focus

THE Chief Executive of the Fiji Visi tors Bureau, Isimeli Bainimara, said the Bureau would be taking a very position, active positive at this year’s convention instead of conducting its

usual ‘annual report’ presentation. “Fiji

is at the crossroads. In the next ten years, world tourism potential will be in the Asia/Pacific rim and if Fiji doesn’t do its homework, it may lose out. What can we do to capitalise on this growth?

We will look at the potentials available and how we can achieve targets over the next five years,” Bainimara said.

The Bureau will study the traditional markets of Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada, and look at Asia, a market Bainimara said may almost double in the next five years. His presentation at this month’s Fiji Tourism Convention at the Hyatt Regency, will focus on potentials and constraints, based on statistical analysis and research of source markets and competitors. He will look at where Fiji is in 1990 and the future to 1995, trying to get the atten

tion of industry on a co-operative basis.

The Bureau will hold a marketing thinktank with the top movers in the in dustry the morning after the convention: “We propose to get together with every one and focus for 30 minutes on each

part of the industry to see what will hap pen in 1991 ... I hope to get the momentum to kick off a five year plan.”

Bainimara said another meeting would follow in September to outline plans for 1991. He wants to ensure maximum sup

port for the Bureau and the tourism effort by seeking co-operative participation from the industry from the first planning step.

The Fiji Visitors Bureau is the Government organisation responsible for selling Fiji as the ideal tourist destination. According to Marketing Manager, Fasiu Jione, it has a dual target of influencing the general public directly through paid advertising and indirectly through the media and the tourism industry.

Jione said television campaigns were

very successful, but with a limited Fs2 million marketing budget, the Bureau’s main marketing strategy was to influence the influencers of travel the media and travel agents. This year, in co operation with Air Pacific and tourist operators, the Bureau will bring 120 travel writers from Australia, New Zea land and the United States to Fiji. This tactic has led to much good publicity in the past and has proved very cost effective.

Jione said the Bureau aimed to diver sify from the family market which

saturates hotels during Australian and New Zealand school holidays and leaves lower occupancy the rest of the year and target the diver, honeymooner and incentive convention markets.

He also identified the need for a North American carrier to take advan tage of the US market, which was a source of a wide variety of tourists, from the very wealthy to the backpacker and,

increasingly, divers.

The Bureau has its head office in Suva and branch offices in Sydney, Auckland and Los Angeles. □