The Fiji government and tourism stakeholders said on Tuesday they expect tourism numbers to boom with increased airlines servicing Fiji and a direct flight from China to the Fiji resort city of Nadi.

    It has already been confirmed that Australian airlines Jetstar, a low-cost Qantas subsidiary, and V Australia will start servicing Fiji within months with competition expected to heat up.

    The direct flight from Hong Kong to Nadi starts on Dec. 3.

    Fiji will get direct connectivity to the Europe market with direct Air Pacific flights from Hong Kong to Fiji’s resort city of Nadi.

    Fiji’s Tourism Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said opportunities and tourism numbers were expected to increase dramatically.

    The Chinese Embassy in Fiji said the direct flight from Nadi to Hong Kong will boost tourist arrivals from China.

The islands of Fiji are ideal for an exotic honeymoon with oceanfront bures, overwater bungalows, beachfront destination weddings and exclusive private islands. But Fiji also offers family friendly resorts, vacations for young active adults, excellent packages for dive groups and private homes and villas for an extended vacation with family or friends.

Fiji’s climate is tropical with temperatures in the 80’s year round.   rainfall is heaviest January through April. 

FIJI honeymoon

The Fijiians are known throughout the world as some of the friendliest people you’ll find anywhere and visitors are welcomed with music, flowers and smiles.  The main island of Viti Levu has a broad selection of activities including river rafting, waterfall hikes, jet boats, scuba diving, village tours, caves, shopping and day trips to other islands.

Accommodations center around Nadi and Denarau Island, the Coral Coast and Pacific Harbour, the adventure capital of Fiji.  Here you’ll find everything from standard hotel rooms, to luxury resorts, beach and garden bures and private villas with prices ranging from under $100 night to over a $1000 night.

Fiji’s outer islands include the Mamanuca and Yasawa island groups, Taveuni and the Northern islands and Vatulele and Beqa to the south. This is where you’ll find Fiji’s best beaches and a more private, “get away from it all” experience.

Most of the outer islands are small and there is often only one resort on a given island.  Activities in the Mamanucas and Yasawas include snorkeling, kayaking, sailing, scuba diving, fishing, waterskiing and wave runners.  In the north you can add hiking, horseback riding and other land activities.

Adult oriented, luxury resorts such as Qamea, Tokoriki, Namale and Matangi focus on romance with fabulous spas, outdoor showers, private pools, gourmet dining, outstanding service and the perfect setting for a once in a lifetime honeymoon.

Other Fiji resorts such as Castaway and Jean Michel Cousteau are great for a family vacation with kids clubs, nannies and plenty of activities to keep everyone happy.  Paradise Taveuni and Uprising are two great choices for divers and still others will fit the budget traveler.

Getting Around
There are good transport connections in Fiji, making internal travel easy and relatively inexpensive. Clearly, the easiest way to travel between islands is by plane, with Fiji Air and Sun Air between them servicing all of the island groups. (Island Hoppers, Turtle Airways and Pacific Island Seaplanes fly some routes too). Ferries are inexpensive, frequent, reliable and very seaworthy, and rubbing shoulders with the local people while travelling between islands is a pleasant and interesting part of the Fiji experience. Ferry routes connect most major coastal areas of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu with all the major islands. You can charter boats as well, or catch one of the smaller unscheduled local boats between islands. Small local boats are sometimes the only transport option, especially for the backpacker resorts. Life jackets are rarely provided and usually the boats have no radio-phones. If the weather looks ominous or the boat is overcrowded, consider postponing the trip or opting for a flight. The larger islands have good bus networks, and outside the towns you can often just hail down a bus wherever you see one. Express buses travel between major centres and local buses seem to stop at every village they pass, but by either means bus travel in Fiji is a pleasant way to meet local people and an effective way to get around.

Fiji welcomed a total of 53,994 visitors in August just 6.3% per cent short of the 57,609 total achieved in August 2008 , which was a record-breaking month
Tourism Fiji CEO Josefa Tuamoto said in a report in the Fiji Times that this included a new benchmark for Australia with 22,577 Australians visiting Fiji in August.  The record Australian figure comes hot on the heels of a record-breaking July, in which close to 25,000 Australians visited Fiji.

Mr Tuamoto said similarly arrival figures from New Zealand showed continuing strong growth, which helped Fiji’s international visitor arrivals tally for August bounce back strongly, with more than 12,600 Kiwis visiting throughout August, adding, “The Australian and New Zealand figures have again played a major part in helping Fiji to grow its overall international visitor arrivals to the point where they are now just 13.7% of the 387,464 achieved in January-August 2008.”

He also said, “We are experiencing regrowth in many of our other mature and developing markets especially China as the global recession appears to be winding down”, and  “When you take into account that we were almost 27% down in the first three months of the year, to have rebuilt our international market share to come within just 13% of our 2008 total is in itself a remarkable achievement for Tourism Fiji and it’s very hard working industry partners.”

He added, “Based on these figures and the onset of increased Pacific Blue flights ex-Australia, the new Air Pacific services ex-Hong Kong and the recently implemented Continental Airlines Japan-Nadi flights via Guam, Fiji looks to be gathering strength for a very strong finish to the year.”

Fiji is preparing to test a tsunami alert system that will use sirens to warn locals of an incoming wave. The sirens can be activated by a mobile phone text message sent by Fiji’s Disaster Management Office and a number of other officials. The sirens will ensure that anyone who is not tuned in to the radio or near a phone can be alerted quickly to possible danger.

 The Poseidon Undersea Resort Fiji

Is due to open

Sometime in 2010, The Poseidon Undersea Resort, Mystery Island, will  become the first hotel in the world set 40 feet underwater.  Accessible by elevator and nestled in the crystal clear waters of a Fijian lagoon, Poseidon will provide you with an unimaginable view as well as incomparable luxury.  This coming year, a select group of the world’s adventure travelers will have the chance to stay at the Poseidon Undersea Resort for week long visits.  They will enjoy two nights underwater and four nights in the remarkable beachfront and over-water bungalows.
Your journey to Poseidon will begin with a flight to Nadi International Airport in Fiji.  Once there a uniformed pilot aboard their twin-engine turbine aircraft will whisk you and your party to Mystery Island, where you will receive a tour of the fantastic resort that will be your escape for a week you will always remember.  If you choose to arrive by private yacht, the lagoon surrounding the island accommodates large vessels.  The entrance to the lagoon is 300 feet deep and 200 feet wide.  A marina and moorings will be available for guests with reservations to stay at the resort.
 

This photo is an artist’s impression of Fiji’s underwater Poseidon resort, due to open next year. It will have 24 suites, billed as the world’s first sea floor resort.

Each of the 24 suites will offer views of surrounding coral, a jacuzzi tub, bathrooms with double sinks, exterior underwater lights and fish feeders to enhance sea life viewing. Suites are expected to start at $1,500/night.
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