tourism contribution to communities in fiji
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Tourism Contribution to Communities in Fiji. Alifereti Tawake, JCU PhD student 24 th October, 2009. Outline. Fiji Tourism contribution Tourism ‘leakage’ Community benefits Examples of community projects retaining benefits in communities Reducing leakage Needs. 1.Fiji. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Tourism Contribution to Communities in Fiji
Alifereti Tawake, JCU PhD student24th October, 2009
Outline1. Fiji2. Tourism
contribution3. Tourism ‘leakage’4. Community benefits5. Examples of
community projects– retaining benefits in
communities– Reducing leakage
6. Needs
1.Fiji• Traditional ways of life and
community structures
• Land ownership (86% traditional)
• Life dependent on the sea and land
• Cash dependence increasing
1.Fiji
Tourism Remitance Sugar Fish Clothing and
Footwear
Mineral Gold0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900 Average Foreign Exchange Earnings (2006-2008)
Source: Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics, reproduced from Reserve Bank of Fiji report, 2009
$M
2. Tourism Contribution
• 24% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
• Largest gross foreign exchange earner, $892m
• Retention rate around, 44%
• Benefiting communities (est. <5%, Korovulavula et al., 2006)
Source: Reserve Bank of Fiji, 2009
3.Tourism ‘Leakage’ Strategic Assessment of Fiji’s Tourism
Development Plan Report (Levett and McNally, 2003)
• ‘Leakage’ of economic benefits (64%)– Import of goods, food, drink and services– Travel and packaged deals– Overseas investors repatriate profits ‘export
leakages’
• Community oriented activities
• Ecotourism as a strategy– Community-based ‘eco-tourism’ run or jointly
owned by communities, home stays
4.Community benefits (<5%)
• Erosion of benefits– Employment – Land lease
• Unequal distribution – Chiefly system– Land owners
5. Example: Village Tours
Profits equally distributed
5. Example: Village-based activities
5. Example: Tourism Interpretation
• Historical sites
• Village history
• Plant & animal totems
• Medicinal plants
• Traditional dances
• Traditional ‘feast’
5. Example: Plantation Walk
5. Example: Community-Protected Areas
Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMA)
Community Managed Forest Parks
5. Example: Sponsoring Reef Restoration
http://sasalutawamudu.org/donate.php
5. Example: Involving women
Printing conservation messages on sulus
5. Example: Involving Youths
Adopt-a-tree of
reforestation
5. Needs
1. Investment into local projects
2. Research into their performance
3. Enabling policies