The Fiji Airways Airbus booth was a standout at the Bula Fiji Tourism Exchange, underway at the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa. Photo:LITIA MATHEWSELL
By LITIA MATHEWSELL
Around 400 tourism wholesalers and buyers gathered for the 18th Bula Fiji Tourism Exchange (BFTE) at the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa in Natadola yesterday.
The three-day event is a key networking platform for groups within the tourism industry to negotiate contractual and net rates, particularly for holiday packages from April 1 2014-March 31 2015.
Tourist limitation now expanded
Bula Fiji Tourism Exchange planning committee chairman, David Voss, commended this year’s turnout despite the smaller venue limiting participation.
He commended the local expansion into adventure activities, particularly in Pacific Harbour.
He noted that visitors used to often be limited to activities within their hotels when compared to safaris and other holiday experience in other destinations.
“Now there are river safaris and shark diving. Everywhere you go people are always looking for that extra bit of adventure because you can only have as much sand as the sea- they need to see something else,” Mr Voss said.
Guandong Panda International Tourist Company Limited agent, Michael Huang, said the exchange was an excellent avenue to create new destinations and markets for their clients.
“We look for new resorts and destinations because our tourist clients not only want to come to Fiji but are also seeking new places such as Vanuatu and the Cook Islands,” Mr Huang said.
“We send about 1000 of our clients into the South Pacific region annually.”
Challenges
South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) marketing manager, Petero Manufolau, said, limited flight routes between Pacific countries confined travellers seeking an inter-island holiday experience.
“One of our challenges is the space of the region and distance between Pacific island countries because we promote inter-regional travel and work quite well with country airlines,” Mr Manufolau said.
“However the challenge is the inconsistency in air services and we have enthusiastic travellers who want to spread their holiday over the Pacific but are limited.
Competition
“The other challenge is the competition from similar destinations such as the Caribbean, which has a closer makeup and located closer to their source markets and is a threat when trying to secure that part of the market.”
A regular exchange exhibitor, the South Pacific Tourism Organisation were on hand to strengthen their relationship with product managers and to seek new business for their member countries.
“The Pacific is often diverse in their offerings and wholesalers can often get a limited perspective of that so we are trying to expound on that because our priority is to promote the South Pacific as an ideal destination.”