AS the humid, wet season settles over our many islands, washing familiar lush landscapes with cooling showers, we are experiencing another seasonal reality: a rise in influenza-like illness, or ILI. While not unexpected for this time of the year, the flu’s severity and increasing connections to COVID-like symptoms, including changing seasonality patterns for community acquisition, are raising concern across many countries experiencing spikes.
For years, cooler, wetter months have coincided with increased respiratory illnesses.
This year, the rise in ILI presents itself with an increased contagiousness that is spreading quickly through families, office buildings and communities.
It is also an opportunity for Fiji’s tourism sector to step up its reputation for world-class hospitality and keep staff and guests healthy and safe.
Visitors arrive expecting the warmth of our beaches, the friendliness of our people and the seamless hospitality that defines our nation.
But they also expect to feel safe and cared for during their stay.
For tourism operators, the challenge is straightforward: integrate practical, proactive health measures into everyday operations, ensuring that the guest experience remains uninterrupted, pleasant and reassuring.
In other words, ILI doesn’t have to disrupt tourism; it just needs to be managed with care, professionalism and the same attention to detail we give to service standards.
Influenza-like illness is more than just “the flu.”
It describes a range of respiratory illnesses marked by the sudden onset of fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue and body aches.
Most cases resolve without hospital care, but those most at risk include infants, the elderly, pregnant women and people with chronic health conditions.
Transmission is primarily through respiratory droplets, contact with contaminated surfaces, and, in enclosed spaces with poor ventilation, through airborne particles.
For tourism operators, these are familiar dynamics: hotels, restaurants, tour vehicles and cruise facilities all involve close contact and high foot traffic, creating environments where viruses can spread if not carefully managed.
The good news is that we know what works.
The measures that kept our staff and guests safe pre, during and post pandemic — with enhanced hygiene, cleaning protocols, thoughtful guest communication and responsive staff management — remain just as relevant for ILI.
Consistent, routine vigilance is key. Ensuring that handwashing stations are accessible, high-touch surfaces are cleaned regularly and respiratory etiquette is observed protects everyone.
Mask-wearing should be recommended during peak periods in crowded indoor areas, and simple signage reminding guests and staff to cover up if still coughing or sneezing, can go a long way in reinforcing.
This needs to be applied to every office, classroom and home and anywhere people are gathered in closed spaces.
Ventilation too is a simple yet powerful tool.
Open-air dining, well-maintained air-conditioning systems and strategically placed air purifiers help reduce the concentration of airborne particles.
While the gentle ocean breeze is part of Fiji’s charm, ensuring that indoor spaces are airy and well-ventilated enhances both comfort and safety.
It’s a small investment with big returns for guest confidence.
Staff management is equally important.
Encouraging team members to stay home if they feel unwell is not just about health; it’s about maintaining operational continuity.
Flexible sick leave policies, cross-training and backup rostering ensure that services run smoothly even when a few team members are recovering at home.
Regular staff briefings, practical scenario training, and refreshers on hygiene protocols reinforce awareness and foster confidence.
A well-prepared, informed team is one of the strongest messages of reassurance a property can send to its guests.
Guest communication is also part of the experience.
A brief note at check-in or in-room signage about hygiene measures, along with reminders about staying home or indoors if unwell, is less about restriction and more about care.
Guests appreciate transparency and the knowledge that their wellbeing is a priority.
When staff and visitors alike understand the measures in place, it reinforces trust and enhances the perception of professionalism.
Fiji’s seasonal increase in ILI is currently consistent with regional trends.
The Ministry of Health and Medical Services, alongside the Fiji Centre for Disease Control, has observed rising cases, predominantly Influenza A (H3 subtype).
Most cases are mild and managed in outpatient settings, but the increase serves as a timely cue for tourism operators: ensure readiness, reinforce protocols and maintain communication lines with local health authorities.
Participating in community surveillance initiatives, such as Flutracking Fiji, can also provide near real-time insights and help operators make informed decisions about their facilities and staff.
Practical measures can be seamlessly integrated into daily operations.
Hand hygiene stations at entrances, elevators and restaurants, along with accessible alcohol-based sanitisers, support both staff and guests.
Frequent cleaning of high-touch surfaces, door handles, elevator buttons, faucets and electronics limits indirect transmission.
Ensuring proper ventilation in all indoor areas, maintaining air-conditioning systems and using portable purifiers where necessary reduces airborne risk.
Staggered seating, adjusted event layouts and digital solutions, such as contactless check-ins or e-menus, minimise unnecessary contact while maintaining convenience and service quality.
Parents should consider keeping children with the first symptoms of the flu at home as flu conditions worsen quickly from the onset.
Retailers, manufacturers and offices around Fiji should be well aware of the spiking incidents of influenza spreading and plan accordingly, or risk increased staff sickness and consequential loss of productivity.
In our conversations with members across the industry, we note that those operators who prepare early, train their teams, implement hygiene measures and communicate effectively with guests and staff create safer environments without compromising service levels.
A guest noticing a staff member sanitising a counter or offering a well-timed reminder to wash hands experiences care and professionalism, not alarm.
Staff feel empowered and supported, and management maintains operational resilience.
Recalling the hard lessons learned from the challenges of COVID-19, we have come to understand the value of preparation, communication and rapid response – even when those around us who should be responding earlier fail to do so.
Those lessons now serve a different purpose: they equip us to respond to most threats in a measured, confident way.
We can be proactive without panic, and attentive without overreaction.
Seasonal influenza is manageable.
It’s familiar territory, and our systems, habits and team culture can support our resilience.
A broader point emerges from this experience: resilience is not built in a crisis.
It is built every day, through habits, infrastructure, staff training and communication strategies.
Tourism operators who maintain high standards year-round find that when seasonal illnesses rise, the response is instinctive.
Staff know the routines, guests see the measures and the business continues with minimal disruption.
This is what should distinguish Fiji as a tourism destination that is both beautiful and professional, hospitable and safe.
And always prepared.
So, as the rains patter on our rooftops and the islands glow under the gentle sun, we welcome the season with awareness and readiness.
We know the measures, we know the habits and we know how to protect the well-being of everyone who passes through our doors.
It’s a familiar path, a practised response and one that maintains the vibrancy, warmth and professionalism that should define Fijian hospitality.
Wash your hands frequently.
Offer sanitisers to your customers.
Stay hydrated, stay safe.
n FANTASHA LOCKINGTON is the chief executive officer of the Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association. The views expressed are not necessarily those of The Fiji Times. To share a comment or thoughts on the article, please send an email to info@fhta.com.fj
Tourists having fun with a local outside Prouds’ flagship store in Suva. The author recommends precautionary measures that hotel operators can take to help protect our visitors during this flu season. Picture: FILE
