Tourism picks up

Luke Rawalai
Saturday, March 30, 2013

IT'S been a quiet period so far for tourism on the Garden Island of Taveuni.

Former Taveuni Tourism Association president Allen Gortan said operations at resorts on the island have been slow but they were looking forward to changes soon.

Mr Gortan said tourist arrivals on the island were slow from January to March but that things would pick up in the following months.

"Our hotels on the island have been receiving confirmed bookings for this year beginning from April and we are looking forward to another busy year from next month," he said. "It is always the case annually as the spring break in the United States of America results in an influx of tourist arrivals that use this period to holiday in the tropics.

"The association is looking forward to the fruition of previous talks with Inter Island Airways who are said to be resuming operations on the island from the first week of July."

Mr Gortan said there were other issues the association were still lobbying for to make the industry more lucrative.

"The association has been having talks with the relevant government agencies on the possibility of a garbage dump for the sake of the hotels and other businesses on the island.

"We have been talking with relevant authorities on the poor condition of the roads which usually affect tourist tours on the island a lot. We believe that once these issues are addressed, we should at least be able to ensure the smooth running of hotel operations."

The association will elect office bearers to take over from the previous association members later this year.