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Tourism Fiji will be working closely with national airline Air Pacific to build up the new Fiji-Hong Kong route, said chief executive officer Joe Tuamoto.
This is a follow on from the signing last week of preliminary documents to a Fiji-Hong Kong Air Service Agreement (ASA), which will pave the way for Air Pacific to begin flights there in December.
“We welcome this initiative as this will open up the Asian market to Fiji,” Tuamoto told FijiLive.
“We have in the past relied heavily on our traditional markets but this new ASA will help us open new markets moving forward.
“It is also critical for the long haul markets for Europe and UK and we will work very closely with Air Pacific to build up this new route.”
China is another long haul market that Tourism Fiji has set its eyes on.
Xinhua News Agency reported that Chinese tourists made 48.5 million outbound trips last year, an 11.8 percent increase from 2007. That figure was expected to increase to 48.55 million outbound trips this year.
The portion of that number going to Hong Kong was growing, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Commission. With Hong Kong being a convergence point in Asia for tourists worldwide, including outbound tourists from China, it is a strategic location for a Fiji.
And Tourism Fiji is ensuring that Fiji is prepared for the results.
“Tourism Fiji only began to target the Chinese market in 2004, upon gaining the Approved Destination Status (ADS) from the Chinese Government,” chairman Patrick Wong told FijiLive.
“There are only a handful of operators in Fiji that currently target the Chinese market, mostly because it is still an emerging market for Fiji and the distribution channels out of China are quite different from that of traditional markets such as Australia and New Zealand.
“Tourism Fiji has appointed a China representative and will be conducting workshops to educate tourism operators on the Chinese market, and how to effectively target this fast growing outbound market,” Wong said.
The marketing arm of Fiji’s tourism ministry said it will push on with its main marketing campaign Fiji Me, which it said can apply to both traditional and emerging markets.
“The ‘Fiji Me’ brand communicates to our audience that Fiji caters for all market segments – families, backpackers, romance, conference and incentives, silver market, etc.
Tourism Fiji not only promotes Fiji as a sun, sand and sea destination but most importantly niche segments within the destination that makes Fiji stand out from other destinations,” said Wong.
