Tourism Contribution to Communities in Fiji

Alifereti Tawake, JCU PhD student24th October, 2009

Outline1. Fiji2. Tourism contribution3. Tourism ‘leakage’4. Community benefits5. Examples of

community projects– retaining benefits in

communities– Reducing leakage

6. Needs

1.Fiji• Traditional ways of life and

community structures

• Land ownership (86% traditional)

• Life dependent on the sea and land

• Cash dependence increasing

1.Fiji

Tourism Remitance Sugar Fish Clothing and

Footwear

Mineral Gold0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900 Average Foreign Exchange Earnings (2006-2008)

Source: Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics, reproduced from Reserve Bank of Fiji report, 2009

$M

2. Tourism Contribution• 24% of Gross Domestic Product

(GDP)

• Largest gross foreign exchange earner, $892m

• Retention rate around, 44%

• Benefiting communities (est. <5%, Korovulavula et al., 2006)

Source: Reserve Bank of Fiji, 2009

3.Tourism ‘Leakage’ Strategic Assessment of Fiji’s Tourism Development

Plan Report (Levett and McNally, 2003)

• ‘Leakage’ of economic benefits (64%)– Import of goods, food, drink and services– Travel and packaged deals– Overseas investors repatriate profits ‘export

leakages’

• Community oriented activities

• Ecotourism as a strategy– Community-based ‘eco-tourism’ run or jointly

owned by communities, home stays

4.Community benefits (<5%)

• Erosion of benefits– Employment – Land lease

• Unequal distribution – Chiefly system– Land owners

5. Example: Village Tours

Profits equally distributed

5. Example: Village-based activities

5. Example: Tourism Interpretation• Historical sites

• Village history

• Plant & animal totems

• Medicinal plants

• Traditional dances

• Traditional ‘feast’

5. Example: Plantation Walk

5. Example: Community-Protected Areas

Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMA)

Community Managed Forest Parks

5. Example: Sponsoring Reef Restoration

http://sasalutawamudu.org/donate.php

5. Example: Involving women

Printing conservation messages on sulus

5. Example: Involving Youths

Adopt-a-tree of

reforestation

5. Needs

1. Investment into local projects

2. Research into their performance

3. Enabling policies