14 Jul 2008

Flight Centre says there is slight decrease in visitors to Fiji from New Zealand

5:14 pm on 14 July 2008

The New Zealand travel agency Flight Centre says there has been a slight decrease in travellers from New Zealand to Fiji this winter, compared with the same time last year.

At the same time, tourism authorities in Fiji say the industry is struggling to attract the number of visitors expected this season.

A spokeswoman for Flight Centre, Melanie Pohl says other countries are becoming more popular for travellers.

"We have seen a lot of other South Pacific destinations offer some really hot deals, such as New Caledonia, Rarotonga and the Cook Islands and Samoa. But also I think kiwis are getting out and trying somewhere new. Trying different places in the South Pacific that they haven't been to before."

Melanie Pohl says despite this, Fiji is still a top travel destination.