ONE of the clearest lessons from recent years is that no tourism industry can afford to face global shocks alone. When the world shut its doors during COVID-19 pandemic, we were forced into a position no tourism industry ever wants to face.
Borders closed, aircraft grounded, hotels emptied overnight.
What pulled us through was not luck. It was coordination at an unprecedented level. It was discipline. It was the willingness of government and industry to sit at the same table and make decisions quickly, collectively and with absolute clarity of purpose.
That same mechanism is now back in motion.
The reactivation of the Tourism Action Group, TAG, is a deliberate move grounded in experience.
We know what happens when global shocks are allowed to ripple unchecked into our sector.
We also know what works when we respond early, together and with structure.
The trigger for reconvening the TAG is unlike any before.
The escalating tensions tied to the Iran-United States conflict are not abstract headlines for us—they are already reshaping global fuel markets, aviation costs, supply chains and traveller confidence.
Fiji may sit far from the epicentre, but the shockwaves reach us all the same. And when they do, they strike at the very arteries of our tourism economy.
Fuel is the lifeblood of aviation, the backbone of transport, the pulse of humming logistical support systems that enables water to flow into taps, for sewer systems to remove waste, lights and air conditioning units to work and people to move to school, work and play.
It is the cost of keeping an island nation connected to the world.
We cannot afford to wait and watch. The volatility is here, the impacts are real and the choices we make now will determine whether Fiji’s tourism sector weathers this storm or is swept aside by it.
TAG reconvened last week in readiness to confront these challenges head-on, to safeguard our operators and communities, and to ensure that Fiji remains open, resilient, and connected.
TAG brings together the people who move the industry. Government, airlines, hotels, finance, marketing, supply networks, transport and communications.
Not in silos, not in parallel, but in one coordinated structure. The same FIJI Inc. model that carried us through COVID has been reactivated with a clear mandate: protect continuity, protect confidence and protect the contribution tourism makes to this country.
The value of TAG removes fragmentation, forces alignment and ensures that when decisions are made, they are informed by the full picture, not just one part of it.
In practical terms, that coordination is already visible.
We are working directly alongside our national airline to understand fuel exposure, route optimisation and contingency planning.
The airline’s investment in newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft is no longer just a sustainability story.
It is now a resilience advantage. Every percentage point saved in fuel efficiency translates into breathing room as global prices spike as we know they will.
At the same time, we are engaged with fuel suppliers, regulators and Government to monitor supply levels and distribution. Fiji does not produce its own fuel.
That reality has always been there. What has changed is how closely it is being tracked and managed. The margin for complacency is gone.
On the ground, operators are already adjusting.
Hotels and resorts are accelerating energy efficiency measures, not because it is fashionable, but because it is necessary.
Solar investments, smarter energy use, local sourcing. These were long-term conversations. They have now become immediate operational decisions.
The same applies to transport providers, tour operators and outer island logistics, where fuel access is not theoretical.
It determines whether services run or stop.
What is different this time is that these actions are not happening in isolation. We are ensuring they are connected, shared and aligned.
That alignment matters most when it comes to messaging.
During COVID, one of our biggest advantages was clarity.
Fiji spoke with one voice. The same principle applies now. Through Tourism Fiji and our wider industry networks, we are ensuring that our trade partners, airlines and travellers hear a consistent message.
Fiji remains open, stable, operational and safe.
That confidence is backed by real coordination behind the scenes.
There is also a quieter, but equally important, layer to this work.
We are planning scenarios – good, bad and ugly.
Not one scenario, but multiple. What happens if fuel prices climb further. What happens if supply tightens. What happens if travel demand shifts. These are not abstract exercises. They are mapped against triggers, thresholds and actions.
If conditions change, the response is already defined.
That is the discipline we learned the hard way during the pandemic, and it is now embedded in how we respond.
Of course, none of this removes the uncertainty completely. With fuel prices escalating, the knock-on effects will soon be felt with far more discomfort than many will be expecting.
We do not know how long the current geopolitical tensions will last.
We do not control global fuel markets. We do not control airline pricing decisions in other parts of the world.
What we do control is how prepared we are, how coordinated we are, and how quickly we can respond.
Everyone can be part of a coordinated response to what will soon be a steeply increasing cost of business, increasing inflation and increasing cost of food.
At its worst, we might also see some power outages, water supplies shutting off intermittently and schools and offices closing early, along with long lines at petrol stations.
What everyone should be asking themselves is how prepared we can be.
We can make the fuel we have now last longer by starting energy saving measures – entire households can save power by focusing on small, everyday changes like switching off appliances at the wall, using LED bulbs, managing heating/cooling efficiently, and reducing unnecessary water heating.
You can unplug phone charges, turn off the TV, turn off lights and air conditioning, carpool and share rides.
Perhaps the government will consider reducing their fleet size and share rides between departments, reconsider overseas trips, conferences and workshops.
Tourism operators will be implementing cost cutting measures that reduce energy and fuel usage by reviewing transportation needs and asking guests to support energy saving efforts. Every little bit will help.
There is also an opportunity sitting within this disruption.
Other destinations are already feeling the strain of rising costs and disrupted routes. Some will lose market share. Some will struggle to maintain connectivity.
Fiji, by contrast, has a chance to position itself as stable, organised and reliable based on whether we can continue to access fuel.
If we can maintain connectivity, manage costs, and keep the visitor experience intact, demand will continue and hopefully increase.
Working together is not just about managing a crisis. It is about protecting momentum. The sector has worked too hard to rebuild over the past few years to allow external shocks to undo that progress.
Every job, every business, every community that depends on tourism sits behind these decisions.
The difference now is that we are not starting from zero.
We have the structure. We have the relationships. We have the experience of having gone through something far worse and coming out the other side.
Not reactive. Not fragmented. Ever hopeful. Coordinated, deliberate and already in motion.
Everybody in Fiji can and should play a part by reviewing their own energy use and saving what they can so our stocks can last longer.
Turn that light off, share a ride, rethink that trip by car to the shops if you can.
This is what resilience looks like in practice.
