Choir sing Tourism Fiji’s theme song: ‘I know a place where happiness lives’ at the Sofitel Resort at Denarau, Nadi. Photo: MINFO NEWS
By JYOTI PRATIBHA
Tourism Fiji has taken our tourism industry to a whole new level by setting the path for our local industry with a theme song.
‘Au kila na vanua e bula tiko kina na marau’- ‘I know a place where happiness lives’, is the brand song which was unveiled yesterday together with seven television advertisements.
The advertisements and theme song were released at the Tourism Industry Day held at Sofitel Resort at Denarau, Nadi.
Attorney-General and Minister for Tourism Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said the rebranding of such magnitude required strategic and focused planning.
“It required a concerted effort in revamping the entire industry. It required getting in-house affairs into order,” Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said.
“Tourism plays a critical role in Fijian economy. It contributes about 33 per cent to the economy. We expect that to grow.”
Government is focusing to ensure the tourism dollar remains in the country and benefits Fijians at all levels.
He said the decision to provide scholarships to chefs was one of the ways in which they intend to make this happen.
“Numerous changes have taken place. There was an audit done within Tourism Fiji and the anomalies that existed were identified. Also identified were ways in which Fiji could be positioned for the 21st century.”
Competing globally
Fiji is not competing locally or regionally, but globally when it comes to marketing the tourism industry.
The Attorney-General asked tourism stakeholders to be mindful of this.
“We not competing within the South Pacific, we are competing globally. We were not appreciating this fact. We need to get a reality check and that is what we did two years ago,” Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said.
He said employing the right people had also been critical in revamping Tourism Fiji.
“We believe that we need the right people with the right qualification, who would be able to deliver to us the returns for the huge investment we are making,” Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said.
He also pointed out that the $23.5million that Government gives to Tourism Fiji for marketing Fiji maybe a fraction of what the private sector invests, but it was being for given marketing our country and not individual properties.
“Government has now put in unprecedented funding into roads and infrastructure and this has a direct impact on your business, it has a direct impact on both- our country and individual properties.”
The adverts
Throughout the advertisement, while the stunning sceneray is evident, the focus was to ensure that the Fijian people were captured in close-up.
These were shot in the Yasawa and Mamanuca group of islands, Taveuni, Nadi and highlands of Viti Levu.
“Fiji offers an idyllic environment and diversity of experiences and this gives it a unique identity. But what sets Fiji apart from other island destinations, is the happiness that you feel,” Tourism permanent secretary Elizabeth Powell said.
There is one 60 second ad, a 30 second ad and five 15 second ads.