Tourism opportunities in Vanua Levu are expanding. The challenge is ensuring growth is carefully planned so communities benefit, risks are managed early, and the regionβs cultural and natural assets are protected.
The #NaVualikuProject team met with Divisional Planning Officer Ms Ruci Daveta to align local priorities with long-term tourism planning.
Teams engaged to develop the Integrated Tourism Master Plan were present to listen and accurately capture divisional priorities, including the Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment team reinforcing environmental and social safeguards within the planning process.
This approach ensures the Plan reflects what matters most to communities and stakeholders across Vanua Levu.
Private sector investment is key to unlocking the full tourism potential of Vanua Levu.
Business leaders, entrepreneurs, and local officials met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Hon. Viliame Gavoka, together with Carlos Felipe Jaramillo, World Bank Vice President for the East Asia and Pacific Region, Gallina A. Vincelette, World Bank Vice President for Operations Policy and Country Services, and Sarvesh Suri, IFC Regional Vice President for Asia and the Pacific over a Business Leaders lunch at Nawi Island to discuss how sustainable tourism can drive jobs, investment, and long-term growth in the Northern Division.
Through our 10-year, US$200M Fiji Tourism Development Program in Vanua Levu #NaVualikuProject will strengthen infrastructure and create an enabling environment that helps crowd in private investment, grow businesses, and expand economic opportunities across Vanua Levu.
Across Vanua Levu, many women entrepreneurs and Community-Based Tourism (CBT) enterprises have the ideas and cultural assets to participate in tourism but often face limited access to skills, networks, and investment.
The #NaVualikuProject is helping close this gap by strengthening MSMEs, CBTs and supporting women-led enterprises so tourism growth translates into real opportunities for local communities.
During their visit to Fiji, Carlos Felipe Jaramillo, World Bank Vice President for the East Asia and Pacific Region, Gallina A. Vincelette, World Bank Vice President for Operations Policy and Country Services, and Sarvesh Suri, IFC Regional Vice President for Asia and the Pacific, accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Hon. Viliame Gavoka met with the women of Na I Soqosoqo Vakamarama I Taukei ni Cakaudrove β The Society for Indigenous Women of the Cakaudrove Province to hear directly from those helping shape resilient communities and local enterprise across the province. Representing indigenous women across all districts of Cakaudrove Province, the Soqosoqo Vakamarama Cakaudrove mobilises grassroots leadership and supports women-led initiatives that strengthen communities, culture, and local enterprise.
Supporting MSMEs, community-based tourism enterprises, and women entrepreneurs is a key pillar of the Projectβs work to ensure tourism development in Vanua Levu and Taveuni is inclusive, locally driven, and economically empowering for all Fijians.
Nasau Village Mataqali Verevere | Nabouwalu Village |Dalomo Village | Votua Villag
#Bua showed up. Our team delivered an awareness session and provided hands-on application support for the Na Vualiku MSME & CBT Capacity Building and Grant Program.
We supported participants to:
Confirm eligibility
Work through each section of the application form
Get practical, one-on-one guidance to submit correctly
Final call: donβt miss the window.
If you are still thinking about it, make TODAY your submission day.
Apply online or download forms (English, Hindi, iTaukei):
Our team was on the ground in Savusavu delivering an awareness session and providing hands-on application assistance for the Na Vualiku MSME & Community-Based Tourism (CBT) Capacity Building and Grant Program.
We met with local MSMEs and CBT operators to:
Explain program eligibility and requirements
Walk through the application process step by step
Answer questions and help applicants complete and submit their forms correctly
These sessions are about making sure businesses and community operators are informed, feel supported and confident to apply.
The application window is still open.
Apply online or download forms (English, Hindi, iTaukei):
At the PA Macuata Office, our Na Vualiku team held an awareness session and provided application support for the MSME & Community-Based Tourism (CBT) Capacity Building and Grant Program. It was a great turnout, with strong participation from local MSMEs and CBT operators.
We worked alongside participants to:
Clarify eligibility and the key documents needed
Walk through each section of the application form
Provide practical, one-on-one guidance to help applicants prepare and submit correctly
Applications are still open.
Apply online or download forms (English, Hindi, iTaukei):
Last week, our Na Vualiku team completed outreach support visits in Taveuni, from Lavena Village to Navakawau Village, creating awareness on the Na Vualiku Project and helping MSMEs and CBT operators with the MSME & CBT Capacity Building and Grant Program applications.
Our team met with MSMEs and Community-Based Tourism (CBT) operators to explain eligibility, required documents, and how to complete the application correctly, and we supported applicants to move their submissions forward with confidence, collecting filled applications on the road aswell.
You can still apply online or download forms (English, Hindi, iTaukei):
Are you a small business, womenβs cultural enterprise, or Community-Based Tourism (CBT) operator in Vanua Levu or Taveuni?
Donβt miss your chance to strengthen your tourism business through the Na Vualiku MSME and CBT Capacity Building Program. You will get practical training and one-on-one support to help your business grow and sustain.
π Need help applying? You can meet with our team in person at an awareness session and fill out the forms there. Donβt miss out!
π For help or questions, call us on 9928657 or 9986503
π Apply online or download forms (available in English, Hindi, and iTaukei): https://lnkd.in/eys_XDT2
Minimum requirement: π Business Registration Certificate β or proof that registration is in progress.
β³ Deadline: 13 February 2026
Pick up and submit forms at any of these locations: Na Vualiku Office, Level 3, JKS Building (Above Jackβs Fiji), Main Street, Savusavu Macuata Provincial Council, Labasa Market, Nasekula Road Bua Provincial Council, Naulumatua House, Nabouwalu District Officer Taveuni, District Office Complex, Waiyevo Assistant Roko Tui, Somosomo Village, Taveuni
Na Vualiku MSME & CBT Capacity Building and Grant Program | Outreach Visits (5β13 Feb 2026)
Need help applying? The Na Vualiku team is visiting communities to help you complete your application correctly, understand eligibility, and submit on time.
π Paper forms: pick up or drop off at β’ Savusavu Office: Level 3, JKS Building (Main Street) β’ Labasa: Macuata Provincial Council (Labasa Market, Nasekula Road) β’ Bua: Bua Provincial Council (Naulumatua House, Nabouwalu) β’ Taveuni: District Officer (Waiyevo) β’ Taveuni: Assistant Roko Tui (Somosomo Village)
β³ Reminder: Applications close Friday 13 February 2026. π Please share this with anyone who may benefit.
10 September, 2025 – Suva, FijiΒ β Fiji will soon have its first Integrated Tourism Master Plan for Vanua Levu, a twenty-five year blueprint to transform the North into a leading sustainable tourism destination.
To develop this Master Plan, the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation has appointed HIDRIA-IOS, a joint venture between HIDRIA Ciencia Ambiente y Desarrollo of Spain and IOS Partners of the United States, with EcoConsult Pacific of Fiji as subconsultant, under the World Bank-financed Fiji Tourism Development Program in Vanua Levu (Na Vualiku Project).
The Master Plan will provide a comprehensive framework for growth across Savusavu, Labasa, Taveuni and the Natewa Peninsula. It will ensure that development is resilient, inclusive, and climate-smart, aligning new public and private investments with the protection of Vanua Levuβs unique natural and cultural assets, while creating economic opportunities for local communities.
Tourism in Vanua Levu has significant untapped potential. Although it attracts some of Fijiβs highest-spending visitors, it currently accounts for only a small share of international arrivals. The Master Plan will chart a course to unlock this potential by improving access, diversifying visitor experiences, and building the foundations for sustainable, community-based tourism that benefits all Fijians, with a particular focus on opportunities for women entrepreneurs and community-based tourism organisations.
The consultancy will run for sixteen months and be delivered in eight phases. Starting with data collection and assessments, it will move through growth forecasts, development options, and detailed town plans, before tackling infrastructure planning, marketing, institutional reforms and training. The Master Plan is expected to be completed by January, 2027.
The Plan will be developed through extensive stakeholder engagement across Vanua Levu and Taveuni, including workshops and talanoa sessions, to place communities, civil society, and the private sector at the centre of the process.
The consortium brings together a wealth of international and local expertise. HIDRIA has more than two decades of experience in sustainable tourism, environmental planning and master planning across Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. IOS Partners contributes deep knowledge of infrastructure, aviation, and economic planning, with prior experience in Fiji and other Small Island Developing States. EcoConsult Pacific adds local expertise and networks, ensuring the Master Plan is firmly grounded in the realities and aspirations of communities in Vanua Levu and Taveuni.
Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Hon Viliame Gavoka, welcomed the HIDRIA-IOS team to Fiji to begin the groundwork.
βThe Integrated Tourism Master Plan will be a milestone for Vanua Levu and the Northern Division. It will give us a clear direction for tourism growth that protects our environment, supports our people, and creates opportunities for future generations,β he said.
βThe appointment of HIDRIA-IOS, supported by EcoConsult Pacific, reflects our commitment to combining world-class expertise with deep local knowledge. This Master Plan is not just about visitor numbers. It is about people, culture and resilience and together, we will chart a course for climate-smart, inclusive tourism that benefits every Fijian in the North,β he added.
From today, the HIDRIA-IOS team is on the ground in Vanua Levu to begin their initial work and community consultations. The Ministry invites all stakeholders and communities across Vanua Levu to take part in shaping this Master Plan.
Nasau Village 
Our team delivered an awareness session and provided hands-on application support for the Na Vualiku MSME & CBT Capacity Building and Grant Program.
Confirm eligibility
Final call: donβt miss the window.
Apply online or download forms (English, Hindi, iTaukei):
Need help fast? Call 9928657 or 9986503
Closes 13 February 2026
The application window is still open.
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