Communities help shape a dedicated Natewa Bay and Peninsula Tourism Development Plan
Local knowledge from Buca, Nadavaci, Korotasere and neighboring communities is helping identify area-specific opportunities, actions and protections for the dedicated Natewa Bay and Peninsula Tourism Development Plan ~ one location-based component of the wider Integrated Tourism Master Plan (ITMP).
“Tourism development in Natewa Bay should create opportunities for local enterprise, employment and income while protecting the biodiversity, landscapes, culture and customs that make the area special.”
The Integrated Tourism Master Plan (ITMP) for Vanua Levu and Taveuni is being prepared through the World Bank-financed Fiji Tourism Development Program in Vanua Levu (Na Vualiku Project) to help translate these aspirations into coordinated action.
As a tourism development framework for the North, the ITMP will provide the Government, communities and the private sector with a clearer basis for deciding where and how tourism should develop, at what pace and in what sequence.
The ITMP process is examining tourism opportunities, infrastructure and service requirements, environmental and social considerations, and the actions that should be prioritised and sequenced for future investment and implementation.
By bringing this information together, the ITMP will help ensure that tourism-related decisions are considered in a coordinated way and that future investment responds to local priorities, destination needs and environmental limits.
A location-based plan for Natewa Bay
As part of the wider ITMP, a dedicated Natewa Bay and Peninsula Tourism Development Plan is being prepared to identify the opportunities, challenges and priorities specific to this emerging tourism location.
Natewa Bay and the surrounding peninsula have considerable potential for nature-based and community-led tourism. Its marine and terrestrial biodiversity, distinctive landscapes and strong local culture could support new visitor experiences and local businesses. These assets are also vulnerable and must be protected if tourism is to remain sustainable over the long term.
To ensure that the proposed priorities reflect local realities, the team of experts developing the ITMP, together with the Na Vualiku Project team, recently met with communities from Buca, Nadavaci and Korotasere and neighboring villages to hear directly about their aspirations, priorities and concerns.
Across the talanoa sessions, a clear message emerged: tourism development in Natewa Bay should create opportunities for local enterprise, employment and income while protecting the biodiversity, landscapes, culture and customs that make the area special.
Community members described the benefits they want tourism to create and highlighted the visitor experiences, enterprises and business opportunities they believe could be developed. At the same time, they emphasised the importance of protecting the Bay’s natural assets and respecting the environmental, cultural and customary values on which the area’s future depends.
Residents also discussed the infrastructure, services and local capacity needed to support tourism, as well as the challenges that could prevent communities from fully benefiting from future opportunities.
How community input will influence the next steps
The team will now consider this local knowledge alongside technical, environmental and tourism evidence as they develop the Natewa Bay and Peninsula Tourism Development Plan.
The resulting recommendations will identify practical actions and proposed investment priorities for nature-based and community-led tourism. These will feed into the wider ITMP and help better inform future decisions by Government, communities, investors and development partners.
This is how the engagement moves beyond consultation: community perspectives shape the proposed priorities, technical evidence helps determine what is feasible, and the resulting recommendations provide a clearer pathway towards investment and implementation.
This approach can support tourism opportunities that create lasting local benefits without compromising the natural and cultural assets on which Natewa Bay’s future depends.
Vinaka vakalevu to the communities of Buca, Nadavaci and Korotasere for sharing their aspirations, priorities and local knowledge with the team.
