VITA highlights untapped tourism opportunities for Fiji's Indigenous communities

Many Indigenous resource owners, farmers, and cooperatives in Fiji are not fully capitalizing on the economic potential within the country's vital tourism sector. The Viti Indigenous Tourism Alliance (VITA) highlights that current partnerships between resource owners and tourism stakeholders often remain narrowly focused on land leases, thereby limiting community involvement in the broader supply chain.

According to VITA President Sitiveni Nawaqa, the organization's work over the past three years has underscored the critical need to educate resource owners about the wider economic opportunities available and their associated benefits. VITA is actively striving to establish stronger connections between local farmers, cooperatives, and resorts. This effort aims to create a more direct pathway for communities to supply fresh produce and various services to the tourism industry.

Nawaqa pointed out that a significant number of resorts lack the necessary land or capacity to grow their own vegetables. This creates a prime opportunity for local resource owners and farmers to step in and supply locally grown produce. "So what we do is a food chain system. Food supply chain. So that’s what we want to sell," Nawaqa explained, emphasizing the goal of establishing a robust food supply chain.

The alliance is also addressing the challenge of limited awareness regarding resource value among resource owners. Nawaqa stated that many are currently learning to properly assess and value their resources. This skill is deemed crucial for effective engagement and negotiation with businesses in the tourism sector. The initiative seeks to empower these communities by ensuring they can leverage their resources more effectively for economic gain.

“

So what we do is a food chain system. Food supply chain. So that’s what we want to sell. We want to do a Solesolevaki for all indigenous and Fijians, saying that we need to work together to achieve the goals we’ve set. Because we did that agreement and we found out it’s not used. So that’s where, that point where all the indigenous have to use that close business opportunity.