Agritourism workshop (Fiji)

A WORKSHOP in Nadi today is expected to draw up a policy on agritourism, which will link tourism properties with local farmers and suppliers.

The Fiji Agritourism Policy Setting Workshop is a partnership between the Fiji Government, Pacific Community (SPC), Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), Pacific Islands Private Sector Organisation (PIPSO) and South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO).

According to the Brussels Briefing, Fiji has 40 per cent of the Pacific tourism market, making it the biggest tourist destination.

With tourist arrivals almost hitting the one million mark, Fiji has the potential to develop its tourism market further by diversifying its tourism policy and strengthening linkages with the agriculture sector.

This link would increase resilience of food systems and incomes for rural communities.

A policy on agritourism would also develop linkages with the health sector, ensuring that it supports national campaigns towards nutritious and healthy food.

Agriculture is one of Fiji’s key economic sectors and contributes around 28 per cent of total employment in the formal sector, and indirectly employs many more.

Once a major stronghold of Fiji’s economy, agriculture is the third largest now, contributing $451million or 9 per cent annually to GDP.

While agriculture and tourism are two key sectors in the economy, surveys carried out show that a lot of food used in the tourism industry are still imported.

Source and More Information: http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=435554