A SIX month study on cruise industry has been launched which will see the way forward for the lucrative part of Fiji’s tourism sector.
With Fiji earning $10.4 million in cruise earnings last year, a 15 per cent increase compared with 2016, the cruise industry is becoming an important part for the Fijian tourism industry.
According to Permanent Secretary for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Shaheen Ali, the study will provide a better understanding of how to continue to diversify the tourism products, improve the cruise experience and ensure that cruise visitors spend more onshore and on local service providers.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is partnering with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism and the cruise tourism industry to measure the economic impact of cruising in Fiji.
The study will measure the direct and indirect economic impacts of cruise tourism, generating baseline data on the sector’s impact on the Fijian economy.
The research will include a cost benefit analysis of the expansion of the cruise sector in Fiji to inform investment decisions by government, donor partners and the industry.
Environmental and social impacts of the development opportunities will also be considered as part of the analysis.
The study on cruise industry was launched before tourism sector representatives, donors and business operators in Suva.
“We aim to grow the tourism industry from $1.9 billion industry which was in 2017 to an industry worth $2.2 billion by the end of 2021. We are hopeful of achieving this target much sooner as this year we are already hitting the 2 billion dollar mark,” Mr Ali said.
