Woven into the North

What makes Vanua Levu and Taveuni distinctive is not only their reefs, forests, waterfalls and coastlines. It is also the knowledge, creativity and traditions carried by their people. 

Across the North, women’s groups have for generations transformed local materials into expressions of regional identity: kuta gathered from Vanua Levu’s wetlands, the Loga vaka Namuka of Macuata, Cakaudrove’s distinctive masi, the Tagimoucia recreated in tapa, and mother-of-pearl shaped into jewellery on Taveuni. 🌺🧺 

These traditions can also become part of a richer visitor experience  and create greater opportunities for tourism benefits to reach local communities. 

Through the Na Vualiku Project’s MSME and Community-Based Tourism Program, support is being delivered through two complementary streams. 

🏡 For eligible community-owned Community-Based Tourism enterprises, grant funding can strengthen tourism experiences and small-scale visitor facilities. That could include spaces where local handicrafts are displayed and sold, cultural demonstrations are held, or women’s cultural enterprises become part of the wider community tourism experience. 

📈 Through the capacity-building stream, women-led cultural enterprises, tourism MSMEs and CBT operators can strengthen practical business skills — from financial management and marketing to customer service and reaching tourism markets. 

Together, the two streams can help connect culture, enterprise and the visitor experience, creating more opportunities for tourism value to remain within the North. 

On 5 September, UN International Day of the World’s Indigenous Women and Girls, we recognise the women keeping these traditions valued, visible and alive. 

✨ The souvenir becomes a story. The story becomes an experience. 

👉 Read Woven into the North: https://navualiku.com/women-led-cultural-enterprises/