FIJI'S reputa

New tourism association to help small business

tion as an enjoyable tourism desti nation is world renowned, but often the

small local operators are overshad owed by big international corpora tions.

Because of this, 58 small tourism opera tors got together in February to set up the Fiji Budget Hotel and Tour Operators Association.

"Over the years, major tourist operators in Fiji have ignored small local tourist oper ators who were trying to fight for their own survival in the tourist industry. They have regarded local tourist operators as illegal operations and they have made it difficult for small local operators to survive in busi ness," says association chief executive, A L Kabu.

Kabu told PIM that there were many complaints by small operators that unfair tactics were used by travel agents to guide business away from the local operators.

"Budget travellers have lodged many complaints whereby a major tourist opera tor in Sydney had told them not to book small hotels since they are infested with rats

and cockroaches. Some other operators have issue circulars to their members say ing not to provide information to inquiries about certain local operators because they are illegal and do not have a licence to oper ate.“ This is imparted to tourists in hotels to dissuade tourists from booking products recommended to them by other travellers.

The budget hotels have not only been ignored but they have been slighted as 'not up to standard',” he says.

The formation of the Fiji Budget Hotel and Tour Operators Association was an effort for small operators to work towards developing themselves to be marketed overseas as viable alternatives to expensive choices existing within the industry.

Kabu says there has been tremendous growth and development in the budget sec tor, with much ongoing improvements in quality.

"Much more growth in now developing in eco-fnnrism waves of development in

smaller islands with more

village involvement.

Backpackers in the Yasawa group, the main land, Kadavu, Taveuni, and other areas of Fiji.

Eco-tourism is mushrooming everywhere as locals find out the potential of the tourism industry," he said. But the growth in small tourism operators is not just in the area of accommodation.

There are several small operators who run businesses concerned with activities such as diving, surfing, trekking, sightsee ing, cruising, bamboo rafting, four-wheel driving, mountain biking, white water raft ing, camping, and inland touring.

Kabu says the growth in this particular sector has been spurred by a growing awareness of local culture and a desire to visit other areas of the world but at a 'value -

for-money' price.

Mostly, though, he says it's a fad for the young to travel and 'see the world' before venturing into the world of paid employ ment.

But, Kabu says, because of the growth in this sector, many illegal operators are being attracted to Fiji. He says some of them come to Fiji on Visitors Visas, see the

potential here, and set themselves up in rented homes. But these also extend to div ing activities, surfing, tours, rental cars and private home hostels.

The major challenge for the industry, Kabu says, is to stop the illegal operators who are ruining the reputations and busi nesses of those who are operating legally.

The association aims to shed the image created within the industry of low stan dards in budget hotels.

He says government measures to help local operators could include small loan schemes to help local set up and operate budget hotels and other tourism products, develop into quality operations and attract more tourists to the country.

With increasing unemployment in rural areas, eco-tourism ventures could be the answer.

He says the association was not set up to compete with the Fiji Hotel Association, whose members are bigger hotels.

Their major objective is to give trav ellers a greater range of choices. He says the future for the association looks bright and members were motivated. With a bit more training and education, small opera tors may soon see increasing success in a

rapidly developing industry. ■