WOMEN artisans in the North have been urged to prepare for new business opportunities as tourism investment begins to expand across Vanua Levu.
Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran made the call during a specialised training program for women, saying planned developments between Labasa and Savusavu would create fresh demand for locally produced goods and services.
She said women entrepreneurs needed to start preparing now to supply art and crafts, food, fresh fruits and vegetables to the growing tourism market.
“For many years the North has often been described as the neglected division, but that is beginning to change with major investments planned for the region,” Ms Kiran said.
She explained that women from the three provinces of Cakaudrove, Bua and Macuata were carefully selected for the training because of their potential to grow beyond small-scale production.
“This was not by chance. Each one of you was chosen because of your potential to grow beyond subsistence and into structured, competitive enterprises,” she told participants.
However, Ms Kiran also raised concerns that many souvenirs sold to visitors in Fiji were imported, meaning local artisans were missing out on a lucrative market.
With about one million tourists visiting the country each year, she said items marketed as Fiji souvenirs, including fridge magnets and decorative pieces, were often manufactured overseas.
“This means that money tourists spend on ‘Fiji souvenirs’ often does not go to our local artisans,” she said.
While women in the North were already producing traditional crafts using natural materials such as kuta and voivoi, she said many of these items were large and difficult for tourists to carry home.
She encouraged artisans to create smaller products such as keychains, fridge magnets and decorative pieces that were light and easy for travellers to pack.
Ms Kiran added that better packaging, branding and storytelling could help increase the value of locally made products and ensure tourism spending benefitted communities in the North.
