Tourist cruise ship operator South Sea Cruises Group (SSCG) wants to diversify into accommodation and is looking at doing this on an island property it owns in the Mamanuca Islands group.
SSCG chief executive officer Brad Rutherford revealed the plans during the AHICE Fiji Investment in Tourism Summit in Nadi last week.
“We have got a lot of portfolio products across South Sea Cruises,” he said.
“We are looking at diversifying into accommodation. A lot of development you see around is on the mainland.
“We are very island-focused so we have a big goal of growing some inventory on the island as well in the next few years.
“So, we are very positive in terms of where Fiji is going. We have got millions of dollars in the investment pipeline confirmed and we have got a lot more not yet confirmed but we will talk about that in the coming months.
“We are locally owned company – 100 per cent owned by Fijian Holdings Limited so there is a lot of confidence in our business.”
Mr Rutherford said day trips for South Sea Cruises have experienced significant growth.
“Post COVID-19 we have seen a lot of direct bookings and a lot of people trying to try new experiences
“Customers are coming from our source markets Australia and New Zealand.
“Fiji has been very resilient and bounced back post COVID-19 and the growth we have seen now is very positive.”