Pacific Tourism Organisation welcomes the announcement of the resumption of Fiji’s Cruise ship market

The Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) welcomes the announcement of the resumption of the cruise ships market into Fiji, with the first of 39 vessels to arrive in August.

The Fijian Government, through the COVID-19 Risk Mitigation Taskforce (CRMT) recently announced the resumption of the cruise ships market into Fiji. According to the Fiji Bureau of Statistics, in 2019 the cruising market brought in 74,000 visitors through Fiji’s three ports in Lautoka, Suva, and Savusavu.

In welcoming the announcement, SPTO CEO Christopher Cocker, acknowledged the importance of the cruise ship markets to the Pacific region, especially to small and medium enterprise businesses.

Mr Cocker mentioned that part of the SPTO 2020-2024 Strategic Plan is the development of the cruise and yachting sector development through innovative partnerships.

“The region is recovering from the global pandemic and now the cruise ship industry is resuming operations in Fiji. Certainly exciting and interesting times for tourism in the Pacific. In April, this year we had the opportunity to attend the Seatrade Cruise Global conference. This allowed SPTO to gain insight and first-hand knowledge and network with cruise industry stakeholders,” Mr Cocker said.