3 Nov 2014

Calls for a Fiji tourism forum

12:21 pm on 3 November 2014

There are calls for a Fiji Tourism Forum to be established to help make tourism a US$1 billion industry by 2020.

The government has unveiled a plan to grow its current US$678 million tourism sector, and create about 10,000 new jobs in the process.

Tourism Fiji's chairman, Stefan Pichler, says the industry is fragmented, and needs a common voice to reach that goal.

Mr Pichler says a forum would bring all stakeholders together to share experiences, exchange views on the market and develop a long-term tourism development plan.

"We need to call upon all the players in the industry to work together, infrastructure providers, tour operators, airlines, incoming operators. We all have to sit together, we all have to work together, we have to coordinate, exchange information. We don't have that right now but we need it in order to make a step forward in tourism."

Stefan Pichler says the election has meant more people are likely to visit Fiji.

Stefan Pichler

Stefan Pichler Photo: Supplied