FIJI’S tourism industry is stepping up efforts to make the sector more accessible to people with disabilities while expanding economic opportunities for women, particularly in rural and maritime communities.
Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka told Parliament the ministry is working with the Fiji Disabled People’s Federation to advance accessible tourism.
“We have delivered disability sensitisation training to employers and staff across the tourism areas and sectors,” Mr Gavoka said.
He said the training helped tourism operators understand different disabilities and access requirements, identify barriers faced by persons with disabilities and provide reasonable accommodation.
“To this date, around 40 participants have completed this training.
“Alongside the training, we have carried out accessibility audits at selected hotels and tourist attractions to assess how accessible the infrastructure, facilities and services to identify where improvements are needed.”
Mr Gavoka said accessible tourism is about more than ensuring visitors with disabilities could travel comfortably.
“The aim of accessible tourism is not only that visitors with disabilities can travel with dignity and independence, rather that persons with disabilities find employment and enterprise within the sector itself.”
He said a more accessible tourism industry would strengthen Fiji’s competitiveness as the global market for travellers with access needs continued to grow.
Mr Gavoka also highlighted the growing role of women in tourism, saying women already outnumbered men in the sector’s workforce.
“We are seeing steady growth of women starting and running tourism businesses and rising numbers of women reaching finance and business support, particularly in community-based tourism.”
He said the ministry would continue working to ensure women had fair access to employment, entrepreneurship, leadership and opportunities across the tourism value chain.
