Travel to Fiji came to a standstill with Covid, but the good news is that after 35 years Ron Wright’s masterpiece, On Fiji Islands, has been republished by Eland Books. Wright, a Canadian, is a travel writer in the classic British mold. Think Morris, Chatwin, Durrell, or Greene. His prose is unpretentious, elegant, and infused with spirit of place. As a reviewer in...
Ocean Ventures is launching an online course on South Pacific Coral Reef Ecology, to coincide with World Oceans Day and World Ocean Week. Taking inspiration from a field ecology course they have been teaching for many years, this eLearning course aims to bring coral reef ecology and a love of the marine world to everybody who is unable to travel and experience these...
Editor’s Note: A version of this piece first appeared in the Honolulu Star Advertiser I first arrived Taveuni in 1980 as part of a University of the South Pacific student group, cobbled together to rebuild an earthquake-shattered village. We debarked from an ancient cargo boat at a spare pier, boarded a bus and bumped along the unpaved road. The bus...
Rob Kay, the Honolulu-based author of Lonely Planet’s original Fiji guidebook, along with Lautoka, Fiji-based web and applications developer David Barnes, have updated the online travel guide, FijiGuide. Fiji Guide features all original content including blogs, videos, and photos from local photographers. Kay said the site provides the most relevant, up-to-date...
Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published in the Honolulu Star Advertiser. When Hawaii native Roberta Davis first came to Fiji in 1986 she never could have dreamed she’d be on the leading edge of reef restoration on the island of Taveuni. For her, discovering Taveuni was all about scuba. An experienced diver, she had never seen anything as...
On December 15 the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) launched Fiji: Art & Life in the Pacific, the most comprehensive array of Fijian art ever mounted in the U.S. The exhibit will run until July 20, 2020. The Fiji art show at LACMA features over 280 artworks drawn from major international collections, including the Fiji Museum, British Museum, Museum of...
Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published in the Honolulu Star Advertiser. When Oahu natives Rachel Holderbaum and Kainoa Cundall decided to set up Dua na Cegu, a fishing and free-diving resort on Waisalima Bay on Kadavu, a remote island in Fiji, they knew it would be a challenge. Roughly the size of Molokai with a population of approximately 11,000...
Tourism Fiji in partnership with Fiji Airways enhances cooperation in the tourism sector through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with Tuniu on June 27. Tuniu is a leading online leisure travel company in China that offers a large selection of packaged tours, including organized and self-guided tours, as well as travel-related services for leisure travelers...
Operational changes made by the FijiFirst government to Fiji Airways has enabled the company to be where it is today. Civil Aviation Minister, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum made this statement while speaking to FBC News. Sayed-Khaiyum says the national airline company is in a good space to grow, however criticism have spurred the airline. “In respect to the numerous changes we...
Nadi-based all terrain vehicle (ATV) company Go Dirty Tours has launched a new offering, combining its popular guided quad-bike tour with a zip-line experience. The new tour, called Double Edge, is the fifth tour offered by the company and is aimed at adventure-loving clients of all ages. ‘Double Edge combines the fun of an ATV tour with the rush of ziplining five...
True friends can truly provide the wind beneath your wings, and help you soar higher. The Fijian Government have offered Real Tonga an Airlines Services Permit for the Suva Tongatapu route pending the Foreign Air Operator Certificate which is currently under assessment by the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji. This is very good news for Real Tonga who primarily...
The head of the South Pacific Tourism Organisation says strengthening the participation of local communities and indigenous people in tourism development is the key to offering unique travel experiences. Christopher Cocker says culture is at the centre of what is on offer in the Pacific. He told Jenny Meyer a recent international meeting highlighted the need for...
