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.

🌱Stay tuned for details.

#NaVualikuProject #CommunityTourism #MSME #VanuaLevu #InclusiveGrowth #SustainableTourism

🌱 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.

#InclusiveTourism #FijiMSMEs #WomenInTourism

🚧 The Na Vualiku Project and the WorldBank team, as part of the 5th Implementation Support Mission, joined the Fiji Roads Authority and WAPCOS to review progress on the Labasa–Savusavu road upgrade and coastal protection works.

This  will improve road safety, add scenic stopping points, and make Vanua Levu more accessible for visitors and communities.

The coastal protection measures will also help safeguard the road and nearby villages against climate change impacts such as erosion and flooding.

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.

Source: https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/news/30m-for-na-vualiku-project/

The President of the Republic of Fiji, His Excellency Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, today received a courtesy call from the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, the Honourable Viliame Gavoka, at State House.

The Deputy Prime Minister was accompanied by the Fiji Airports Limited Board Chair, Mr. Hasmukh Patel; Na Vualiku Project Manager, Mr. Marlon Lezama; Director for Tourism, Ms. Jacinta Lal; and Kelepi Dainaki, General Manager Assets & Infrastructure (Fiji Airports) and Tevita Cokanasiga Roko Tui Saravanua.

The purpose of the visit was to brief the Head of State on the implementation of the World Bank funded Fiji Tourism Development Program in Vanua Levu, known as ‘Na Vualiku’ (the Project).

The Na Vualiku Project aims to:

· Strengthen targeted infrastructure and essential services,

· Enhance coordination and encourage private sector participation in tourism and

· Improve the environmental sustainability of tourism assets.

The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MTCA) is the lead implementing agency, with support from the Fiji Roads Authority, Fiji Airports Limited, and the Savusavu Town Council.

This initiative supports sustainable tourism development and is expected to yield significant environmental benefits through investments in resilient tourism infrastructure, nature-based tourism attractions, and critical facilities and services, such as waste and sewage management. The Project also seeks to harness the untapped productive potential of Fijian women in the tourism sector.

President Lalabalavu thanked the Deputy Prime Minister and his delegation for the visit and acknowledged the importance of such collaborative efforts in advancing sustainable tourism and economic development in Vanua Levu. He expressed his full support and confirmed his willingness to do his part in the implementation of the project.

Speech delivered by the Prime Minister Honourable Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka:

Read here: https://www.fiji.gov.fj/Media-Centre/Speeches/English/PM-SITIVENI-RABUKA-AT-THE-NA-VUALIKU-PROGRAM-LAUNC