Pacific
p. 45 · Read in the full issue
Islands
Monthly
Business
No plan, little growth
By Beryl Cook
THE good news for everyone is: the recession may be over later this year. The bad news for Fiji is: lack of a tourism master plan has led to unfocussed, knee-jerk reaction to crises; failure to manage the effects of tourism on the environment; and a lower percentage visitor arrival growth than any other country in the region for the decade to 1986.
One of Europe’s leading tourism industry economists and consultants, Esmond Devas, said at the Fiji Tourism Convention on June 13-15 that virtually all the major economies would pick up in 1992 and tourist demand would start to regain strength. The eight recessions since World War II had lasted an average of II months and a maximum of J 6 months, suggesting "we might reason ably expect to see firm signs of resumed growt sometime this year, he said.
Chairman and chief executive of Blue Lagoon Cruises and Tapa Tours, David Wilson, said Fiji’s “uncoordinated knee jerk solutions even when the crisis was predictable months before”, had demon strated its lack of a vision and plan.
Wilson said Fiji had recorded the lowest percentage visitor arrival growth in the whole region for the decade to 1986. In that period its visitor arrivals grew by 49 per cent from 170,000 to 258.000 but percentage increases for other countries were: Australia, up by 153 per cent from 563,000 to 1.43 million; New Zealand up by 89 per cent from 389,000 to 733,000; Indonesia up by 80 per cent from 456,000 to 825,000; Singapore up by 111 per cent from 1.506.000 to 3,191,000; Malaysia up by 65 per cent from 638,000 to 1,053,000; Western Samoa up by 55 per cent from 29,435 to 45,567; Tahiti up by 76 per cent from 91,475 to 161,238; Cook Islands up by 114 per cent from 14,584 to 31,246.
The industry had “drifted along year after year without a definitive plan”.
Instead Government, the national car rier Air Pacific, and the tourism plant through industry associations should identify the type of tourism Fiji wanted, and a short and long-term plan for tourism. A precise strategy and a cohes ive and effective industry framework for management, control and guidance of tourism basics in any commercial
organisation, were needed. A fully com mercially accountable Statutory Corpor ation, perhaps known as the Fiji Tourism Authority, could be established by Gov ernment, and the private sector could act as its mentor with a single, strong Fiji National Tourism Association.
President of Pacific Asia Travel Assocation and General Manager of the New Zealand Tourist and Publicity Department, Neil Plimmer, said each countr)' needed a tourism vision for help regional cooperation. He suggested over seas joint marketing efforts particularly in more distant markets such as Europe and North America, rather than Singa pore, New Zealand and Australia.
Jean-Michel Cousteau, executive vice president and director of the Cousteau Society and son of ocean explorer Jacques, urged Pacific island nations to develop tourism management plans and legislation to protect the environment.
Tourism had become one of the world’s largest industries, employing 56 million people with receipts expected to reach $3 trillion by 1996, he said.
But developers and tourists were often ignorant of how to enjoy natural re sources such as the reef and mangroves without damaging or destroying them.
“Some places and things we are loving to death,” he said. “It’s time to begin to manage our love.” □