THE Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association is looking to strengthen standards across the tourism industry by introducing internationally recognised qualifications in beauty, wellness and spa services.
Association chief executive Fantasha Lockington said the initiative aligned with the industry’s broader work to introduce sustainability standards across tourism operations.
She made the remarks at the CIDESCO Fiji Congress 2026 in Nadi on Monday.
She said sustainability was being considered across every aspect of tourism, from accommodation and tours to recycling and environmental management.
“At the hotel and tourism association, currently we are working to introduce sustainability standards into every element of tourism operations,” Ms Lockington said.
She said pursuing CIDESCO qualifications was a natural next step because the organisation provided internationally recognised standards for skills, safety and professionalism.
Ms Lockington said internationally recognised qualifications would give tourists, investors and tourism operators greater confidence in the quality of services provided in Fiji.
“If we can give our guests, our investors and our operators confidence in the standard of care that we’re giving and that our guests are receiving, I think that’s a very, very natural step for us to be taking.
She said health and safety were particularly important in the wellness and spa industry because treatments often involved close personal contact.
“Fiji takes that seriously,” she said.
Ms Lockington said maintaining high safety standards was important to Fiji’s reputation as a tourism destination.
She also called for the development of wellness standards that incorporated Pacific and Fijian traditions while remaining aligned with globally recognised certification.
“I think that those are natural things that you sit together.”
She said traditional elements such as the Fijian approach to touch, connection, oils and healing could complement international standards.
The aim, she said, should not be to replace global standards but to build on them while creating a distinctive Fijian offering.
Ms Lockington said this would also provide local therapists with greater opportunities for professional recognition and career mobility.
“Not just about replacing or embracing global standards, but about adding to them and giving our therapists a pathway to career mobility and recognition that is rooted in something that is authentically Fijian.”
The CIDESCO Congress is the leading global gathering for beauty, wellness, and spa therapy professionals, organised by Switzerland based CIDESCO (Comité International d’Esthétique et de Cosmétologie) International.
