Fiji booming on its welcome to cruising sailors
by Fiji Times/Sail-World Cruising on 26 Feb 2013
Vuda Marina Fiji SW
With the steady growth in the number of cruising sailors choosing to stop in Fiji, Fiji is becoming a yacht and super yacht hub of the South Pacific.
A 2012 Fiji Yachting Tourism Survey revealed that 662 foreign yachts and super yachts arrived in Fiji last year raking in millions of dollars into Fiji's economy.
David Jamieson, managing director of Yacht Help Fiji Limited, said the 662 foreign yachts and super yachts brought with them more than 4000 tourists.
Mr Jamieson said the yachts stayed in Fiji for an average of 185 days and brought more than $30million to the Fijian economy including two super yacht owners who bought islands in Fiji last year and were investing a further $25million in tourism developments on their islands.
'Millions of investment dollars have been spent providing marinas and facilities for these yachts,' he said.
'The yachting industry in Fiji has been very active promoting our beautiful country and its world class marine facilities to potential yachting tourists.'
Mr Jamieson said one of the benefits of yachting tourism to Fiji was that they spent their tourism dollars in the outer islands where there were no other form of tourism.
Some of the biggest expenditures of visiting yachts as shown in the survey were marinas, local markets, tours, lovo and meke, local tour guides and souvenirs.
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