Fiji’s audio visual industry has for the first time recorded a net Fiji spend of $71.3million so far this year.
And it has also been revealed that within the first eight months of the year, Fiji has attracted shows with a total local spend of $86million and a total production budget of more than $236million.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Communications Manoa Kamikamica made this announcement yesterday saying the net Fiji spend attracted by Fiji’s Film and TV sector up to August this year had already doubled all of 2022 and “is 2.3 times higher than the pre-pandemic’s best net spend attracted in 2019”.
“Fiji’s audio-visual sector has been recovering steadily from the pandemic, and in 2023 it has reached an all-time best within the first eight months of the year,” Mr Kamikamica said.
“This is an important accomplishment. It means that, despite spending a lot less attracting these major productions to Fiji, a lot more investment is now staying within our economy.
“The attention and commitment to the audio visual sector by Fiji’s Government is creating cascading positive economic impacts across the Fijian economy.
“We have heard firsthand from landowners, service providers, and hoteliers how this industry benefits them, which is why this is an important sector for the Government, and we will continue to support its development.”
ITV Entertainment president and Head of International Programming Simon Thomas said via a government statement that finding the right location and local partner was crucial for a series such as ‘Love Island’ “and we couldn’t be more pleased with our ongoing collaboration with the Fiji Government”.
“The film friendly environment they’ve created, including immediate and substantial resources and support throughout, has been key to the production of another successful season, and we look forward to our continued work together,” Mr Thomas said.
