29 May 2007

Further job losses predicted if Fiji tourism doesn't recover

4:01 pm on 29 May 2007

There's a prediction that more people could lose their jobs in Fiji if the tourism sector doesn't recover from the low numbers of visitors to the country.

It had been expected within Fiji that the tourism industry would recover quite quickly following the coup but this has not happened.

The head of the School of Economics at the University of the South Pacific, Dr Biman Prasad, says it's hoped that the numbers will increase over the next three months which are the peak tourist season.

He says if that doesn't happen, the economy may contract by more than three percent in 2007.

"It is going to have a significant impact on employment creation. We're already in a situation where employment has contracted, there are more people being unemployed and potentially more people will lose jobs within the tourism industry if that industry doesn't recover in the next couple of months."

Dr Biman Prasad.