Tourism in Fiji is more than travel, it is a vital part of our economy and a powerful driver of community development.
🌴 Fiji is among the world’s top 20 most tourism-dependent countries. 📊 Tourism contributes nearly 40% of GDP, directly and indirectly. 👩🏽🍳 It supports one in three jobs across the country.
In Vanua Levu, tourism is one of the few sectors offering formal jobs and business opportunities, particularly for women and rural communities. This makes it a key pathway for inclusive and sustainable growth.
💡 A 2023 World Bank study found that even a 1% increase in tourism GDP is linked to a 0.68% reduction in poverty.
This is why the Na Vualiku Project is investing in better infrastructure, community tourism, and environmental protection ~ to help unlock tourism’s full potential for the people of Vanua Levu and Taveuni.
In Nakawaga Village, visitors arriving on cruise ships often make their way to the local waterfall, a stunning natural attraction with tremendous potential. 🌊✨
We visited the community, as part of the Na Vualiku Project’s design, data gathering, and awareness-raising activities to understand how communities can strengthen tourism opportunities and benefit from sustainable local enterprise.
Tourism currently provides occasional income, but with the right support, communities like Nakawaga could develop stronger visitor experiences, improve facilities, and build enterprises that share benefits more widely.
The Na Vualiku Project will soon launch a Pilot Program for MSMEs, women-led enterprises, and community-based tourism organizations. The program is designed to unlock this potential by supporting community businesses, strengthening skills, and linking villages to wider tourism markets.
A beautiful waterfall is only the beginning. The real story is about communities turning opportunity into lasting prosperity.
🌱 Following the World Bank team’s 5th Implementation Support Mission, the Na Vualiku Project is finalising plans for a pilot program to support community-based sustainable tourism ventures, as well as tourism-related MSMEs and women’s cultural enterprises in Vanua Levu.
Launching later this year, the program will provide grants to finance small infrastructure that will enhance community-based tourism and connect MSMEs and women’s cultural enterprises with business development services to help support business growth.
The Na Vualiku Project team and the World Bank, as part of the 5th Implementation Support Mission, met with the Savusavu Tourism Association to discuss project progress.
Updates focused on air transport and town upgrades, including beautification, traffic management, improving pedestrian safety, and protecting the region’s biodiversity — all key to shaping Savusavu’s future as a hub for sustainable tourism.
Suva Fiji October 9, 2025 — With contracts valued at over FJ$22 million already signed and more major procurements in the pipeline, the Fiji Tourism Development Program in Vanua Levu (Na Vualiku Project) is gaining momentum towards building a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable tourism economy for Vanua Levu and Taveuni.
The World Bank, in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MTCA), has successfully concluded the fifth implementation support mission for the Program. Held from 28 September to 9 October 2025, the mission brought together government ministries, development partners, provincial councils, community leaders, and the private sector to take stock, share insights and confirm next steps and advance Fiji’s tourism transformation in the North.
Over twelve days, the World Bank mission team engaged in site visits, stakeholder consultations, and technical meetings across Nadi, Labasa, Savusavu and Suva.
Discussions focused on critical infrastructure works, sustainable tourism planning, environmental safeguards, and targeted support for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), women-led entrepreneurs, and community-based tourism organizations. Field inspections at Labasa and Savusavu airports, the Labasa–Savusavu scenic road, and Waisali Forest Reserve allowed the team to witness first-hand the current status and identify priority areas for further investment.
Key program milestones were highlighted during the mission. Work on the Integrated Tourism Master Plan (ITMP) has commenced with a team of technical specialists engaged via a consortium of Hidria and IOS Partners. This Master Plan will deliver a 25-year phased development framework for the Northern Division, alongside detailed 5-year development plans for key tourism areas including Savusavu and surrounding areas, the Natewa Peninsula and Natewa Bay, Labasa, and Taveuni.
In parallel, a pilot community-based tourism grant scheme is set to launch before the end of the year to support small tourism-related infrastructure in communities to help them improve their tourism products and the economic benefits flowing from tourism to local communities.
Infrastructure development remains a cornerstone of the program. Design and supervision contracts for the Labasa and Savusavu airport upgrades have been awarded,
while procurement for a remote tower system and feasibility study of a potential new domestic airport is underway. The Labasa–Savusavu road upgrade has now entered a 12-month design and supervision phase, marking a major step to enhancing visitor access, safety and amenities. Complementary initiatives, including a wastewater and sanitation investment strategy for Savusavu and a feasibility study for solar installations on public buildings, underscore the Project’s commitment to climate resilience and sustainable growth.
Capacity-building and data collection initiatives are also moving forward. The upgraded International Visitor Survey (IVS) is in the field, with initial results expected in early 2026, while a Baseline Survey to establish socio-economic benchmarks for the Program will begin shortly.
Speaking at the conclusion of the mission, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Hon. Viliame Gavoka noted: “This mission was about listening, validating, and coordinating with our communities and partners. The work in Vanua Levu must reflect not only the promise of growth, but also the values of inclusion, resilience, and sustainability that define Fiji’s vision for tourism.”
The mission concluded in Suva with wrap-up meetings involving the Ministry of Finance, implementing agencies, and development partners, reaffirming a coordinated pathway forward. With momentum building and major infrastructure investments on the horizon, the Project is accelerating efforts toward delivering lasting economic opportunities, improved connectivity, and enhanced environmental safeguards for Vanua Levu and Taveuni.
🌿 The Na Vualiku Project and the World Bank team, as part of the 5th Implementation Support Mission, visited the Waisali Forest Reserve on October 2, 2025.
Plans are underway to build a new Visitor Centre and walking trails, creating safer, more enjoyable experiences for tourists while promoting eco-tourism.
This project will be delivered in partnership with the National Trust of Fiji and local communities, ensuring both conservation and economic opportunities for villages nearby.
10 September, 2025 – Suva, Fiji – 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 Levu’s 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 Fiji’s 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.
“The 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,” he said.
“The 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,” 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.
The Ministry of Tourism, in partnership with the World Bank, has allocated $30 million to fund the “Na Vualiku Project.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Viliame Gavoka, stated in Parliament recently.
He says that this is in line with a core theme of the national budget, the Project places strong emphasis on infrastructure as a driver of sustainable growth.
Gavoka adds the plan to launch a “Na Vualiku” Pilot MSME program, set to offer cost-shared business development services.
It will also provide small grants to community-based tourism groups, and targeted support for women, cultural enterprises, and operators to enhance market readiness and resilience.
The tourism minister says that they are unlocking the Northern Division’s tourism potential—and ensuring that its people participate meaningfully in the industry’s growth.
Investment Fiji is looking beyond traditional markets and tapping into exciting new demand from Asia, North and Central America even South America, says board chairperson Jenny Seeto.
Speaking at the Asia Pacific Hotel Industry Conference & Exhibition (AHICE) Pacific Islands event in Nadi this week, Ms Seeto said Investment Fiji aimed to create an inclusive tourism industry that uplifts communities, protects the environment and leaves a lasting impact.
“We are on a digital transformation trajectory, the National Digital Strategy goals and the landing of the Google Bulikula and Tabua subsea cables are both crucial in positioning Fiji to be a regional digital hub in addition to Fiji being the hub of the Pacific,” Ms Seeto said.
She said Investment Fiji was guided by a 10-year framework designed to revitalise and future-proof our industry, with sustainability, resilience and inclusivity as our foundation pillars.
“Every investment, every project and every policy has to consider our people, our planet and the future of travel.
“We’re especially excited about the Na Vualiku Project in the North, with the support of the World Bank, a major $US200 million (approx $F448m) investment is being channeled into infrastructure development in our Northern region.”
Ms Seeto said that included roads, reliable power, water systems, waste management and better airport access.
“In the context of tourism, Investment Fiji focuses on promoting various types of tourism to attract foreign investment and create opportunities for economic growth which includes sports tourism, medical tourism and adventure tourism.
“The Government is offering attractive incentive tax packages for tourism related industries and other sectors of the economy.”
Note: This article was first published on the print version of the Fiji Times dated June 28, 2025
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