Editor’s Note: Back in the day….the mid-1980s, when I wrote my Lonely Planet Guide to Fiji, the Fiji Visitors Bureau had a wonderful slogan–“Fiji, the way the world should be“. It’s a phrase often attributed to Pope John Paul II during a visit to Fiji.
It sounded a little corny to me at first but as time went by, I felt it was apt and in many ways, well deserved.
I’d never been in a place where I was treated so graciously by the locals. Fiji had gained its independence in 1970 and the government wanted to promote tourism. They encouraged locals to get to know the vulagi (guests). This was not a difficult task. Fijians were genuinely interested in outsiders and guests responded accordingly.
Previous to Fiji’s independence this mutual love-fest wasn’t always encouraged by the powers that be. That’s the subject of this post, which was based on a paper by Nic Halter, “Tourists fraternising in Fiji in the 1930s“. It was published in the Journal of Tourism History in November, 2019.
When I first saw his piece I was a bit shocked. My impression of the colonial era was a bit gauzy and perhaps tinged with nostalgia. Admittedly, I was naive. Time for a reality check.
The good old days, when it came to Fiji tourism administered by the “Empire”, were a mixed bag.
In the abstract to his paper the author stated:
Attempts to prevent tourists from fraternising with the natives in
Suva marks the decade of the 1930s as one of significant change
for Fijian society. The accounts of cruise ship visitors to Fiji
document the delicate race relations in the capital of the British
colony and the efforts of the European authorities to maintain
control. This article considers the ways in which tourists and
residents reinforced and disrupted the established colonial order.
Kudos to Professor Halter for bring this subject to our attention.
Tourism in the age of the Empire
Fiji in the 1930s was a region in transition, caught between its colonial past and the growing influence of tourism. As steamship cruises brought increasing numbers of travelers to the Pacific, Fiji became a desirable stopover for those seeking both adventure and luxury. However, this influx of tourists did not occur without tension. The arrival of outsiders in Suva, the capital, exposed racial and social divisions, challenging the delicate balance of colonial rule.
Tourism in Fiji had modest beginnings in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, driven primarily by business interests and white settlers rather than the colonial government. The rise of steamship travel in the interwar years, however, led to a surge in foreign visitors. Companies such as Union Steamship Company and Matson Lines promoted Fiji as an exotic destination. The construction of the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva (whose history is chronicled in this website) in 1914 symbolized the emerging tourism industry, providing a luxury space where travelers could enjoy colonial comforts while experiencing the South Pacific.
Fraternizing with the Natives is tabu
By the late 1930s, tourism had become an economic and social force in Fiji. The arrival of large cruise ships, carrying hundreds of passengers at a time, was met with both excitement and concern. For some, tourism offered economic opportunities—local businesses, traders, and performers benefited from increased traffic. However, colonial authorities viewed the growing interactions between tourists and local populations as a potential threat to the established racial hierarchy.
Officials feared, stated Halter, that “fraternization” between Europeans and indigenous Fijians, as well as the Indo-Fijian population, could undermine British colonial rule.
This concern led to official attempts to regulate tourist behavior.
In 1937, passengers disembarking in Suva were handed notices advising them not to “fraternize unduly with native Fijians and Indians.” While vague in its wording, the warning reflected deeper anxieties about race, class, and colonial authority. British officials had long attempted to control interactions between different ethnic groups in Fiji, maintaining a structured society where Europeans held power, Fijians were largely confined to their villages, and Indo-Fijians were relegated to agricultural labor and trade.
Disrupting the Natural Order of Things
Tourists, however, did not always conform to colonial expectations. Many were fascinated by the diversity of Suva, often writing about the “medley of races” they encountered. Travelogues and promotional materials emphasized Fiji’s natural beauty and exoticism, yet these same sources sometimes challenged prevailing racial narratives. Some travelers, particularly Australians and Americans, observed poverty and inequality beneath the surface of the idyllic tourist experience. Others questioned the rigid racial structures imposed by British colonial rule, particularly as they interacted with Fijians and Indo-Fijians in ways that defied segregationist policies.
The response from colonial officials was mixed. While some recognized the economic potential of tourism, others worried about its long-term effects. Government documents from the time reveal a concern that tourists who fraternized with the locals were disrupting social order, particularly by encouraging informal economic exchanges and interacting with individuals outside of sanctioned spaces such as hotels and guided tours. Authorities debated stricter regulations but ultimately struggled to control the growing presence of foreign visitors.
The tensions surrounding tourism in 1930s Fiji illustrate a broader theme in colonial history: the uneasy relationship between economic development and the maintenance of imperial control. While tourism was often promoted as a celebration of empire, bringing Europeans into contact with their colonial subjects, it also had the potential to expose the contradictions and weaknesses of imperial rule.
In Fiji, the presence of tourists—who moved freely and interacted with locals on their own terms—highlighted the fragility of British authority in the region.
A Catalyst for Change
In conclusion, the rise of tourism in Fiji during the 1930s was more than just an economic shift—it was a catalyst for social and political change. While tourism reinforced colonial hierarchies in some ways, it also challenged the racial and social structures that had defined Fijian society under British rule. The concerns of colonial administrators, reflected in attempts to regulate tourist behavior, reveal a deep-seated anxiety about maintaining control in an era of increasing global mobility. As tourism continued to grow, these tensions would persist, shaping Fiji’s path toward independence in the decades to come.
Photos courtesy Fiji Museum
Nicholas Halter is an Australian historian who has lived and worked in Micronesia and Fiji. Born in Sydney, he studied history at the University of Wollongong and The Australian National University. Since 2016, he has lectured in Pacific history and historiography at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji. Nic’s latest book is Suva Stories: A History of the Capital of Fiji
