Tourism Fiji’s new chief executive, Dr Paresh Pant, has paid his first visit to the UK, seeking to reiterate the importance of the British market to the South Pacific destination.
In 2025 Fiji recorded 13,607 UK arrivals, which was 13% higher than in 2024.
Australia and New Zealand remain the two largest markets (70% of Fiji’s overall arrivals), followed by the US (about 10%).
Dr Pant told TTG: “People ask me, why doesn’t Fiji put all its money into Australia, New Zealand and America, because that’s where you have direct flight routes. But our job is to look at tourism from a holistic perspective, and the true value of the adventurous nature of UK and European visitors is not to be underestimated.”
“The length of their stay is almost double, and while they do enjoy five-star hotels, they go to villages and immerse themselves in the culture. They look for authentic experiences. And that’s really important because tourism is all about people learning from people.”
“That’s part of the reason I am here,” he added. “Jane West, regional director, UK & Europe, is doing a wonderful job here in the UK but I made a conscious decision to come here early in my role to explore further opportunities for growth now that Fiji Airways is part of the One World Alliance.”
This alliance presents a number of route options including via Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific and via Tokyo with Japan Airlines, with Singapore another one-stop connection. Although Singapore Airlines is not part of One World, the carrier has an interline agreement with Fiji Airways that allows the passenger to travel on one ticket through to Nadi International Airport, Fiji’s main gateway.
Australia and New Zealand offer multiple gateways to Fiji while UK travellers can also fly via the US and Vancouver.
Jane West said: “Fiji is certainly the most connected Pacific Island archipelago by far. And Fiji Airways has lots of new airplanes, the newest being the Airbus A350 series. They’ve won a lot of awards in the last year for their in-flight service.”
She added: “One thing that has really come to light in the last couple of weeks is being able to leverage the huge network that Turkish Airlines has across Europe, connecting via Istanbul to Australia, and that’s a more affordable option.”
Dr Paresh Pant, chief executive of Tourism Fiji
Speaking after the start of the war in the Middle East, Dr Pant said that while rising flight prices were an “irritation”, he didn’t see them as a deterrent, because long-haul travellers tended to treat Fiji as an aspirational destination, which they would visit once or twice in their lifetime. West noted that the biggest growth sector for Fiji in the last year was the luxury market, which was less price-sensitive.
And there was plenty of choice within Fiji’s hotel inventory, she said. “We find that, even when pressed a little, the luxury market will value the experiences they are getting in Fiji over and above getting the best room in a hotel, for example.”
“We’re also seeing a big uptick in people leveraging their rewards and that’s why the One World Alliance has been a game changer for us, with people using their points for both hotels and flights.”
One of the ways that travellers can enjoy an authentic experience in Fiji is with Loloma Hour, a nationwide commitment by resorts and activity providers to include guests in sustainable activities, such as replanting mangroves. By November 2025, more than 12,354 hours had been logged, which far surpassed the year one target of 5,000 hours.
“We’re moving the story from sustainable tourism to regenerative tourism,” said Dr Pant. “People want to leave the place better than they found it. With lots of volunteer projects around the world, you have to spend quite a lot of money to take part, and commit to a fixed period of time. The beauty of this scheme is you can literally contribute an hour, no strings attached.”
In October last year, a new cultural centre opened in Pacific Harbour, on the southern coast of Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island. At the heart of Damodar Arts Village is an authentic Fijian village, complete with the world's tallest bure, the bure kalou (spirit temple). It's a place where visitors can immerse themselves in Fijian life and culture, watch cultural performances and experience the dramatic and sacred fire walking ceremony.
In hotel news, Fiji's first One & Only property is scheduled to open in late 2026 or early 2027. It will be located on the private Nacula Island, accessible by seaplane from Nadi Airport.
Ritz-Carlton is also planning its Fiji debut – it has announced a new-build on the Coral Coast, an hour from Nadi. The 249-key beachfront resort is scheduled to open in 2030.
Looking ahead, Tourism Fiji is planning some trade activity this July, when Fiji hosts a series of three Nations Championship matches in Murrayfield, Cardiff and Liverpool.
Although Fiji is unable to host these games in Fiji for stadium capacity reasons, Fiji Rugby Union is promising a true celebration of Fijian culture both on and off the pitch.
“It’ll be a great platform for us to be able to promote Fiji,” added West.