Tourism Fiji’s new CEO marks exciting moment for the nation’s tourism industry
The Trove Strategic Planning team writes about Tourism Fiji’s July announcement and the outlook for Fiji.
Three weeks ago, Tourism Fiji announced Mr. Brent Hill as its new CEO after a competitive recruitment process. Brent brings with him a significant amount of experience in tourism development and marketing, having served as the Executive Director of Marketing for the South Australian Tourism Commission.
“We’re delighted to welcome someone of Brent’s calibre to this critically important role not just for Fijian tourism, but for the Fijian economy. [Brent will] lead Tourism Fiji in these unprecedented times, where international tourism activity has been zero for over a year now,” Tourism Fiji chairman Andre Viljoen said in a statement issued by the Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association (FHTA).
Trove Tourism Development Advisors is excited about this leadership announcement, as Brent will compliment the incredible work of Emma Campbell and the Tourism Fiji team as they have been planning, strategizing and executing for the last 18 months. The team has brought Fiji forward to a place of incredible vaccination rates in the tourism industry, several marketing and strategy projects in progress, and a continued presence of the Tourism Fiji brand.
Our team has researched the Fijian tourism market closely, and across the many priorities Brent will have as he continues to acclimate to the role, these are a few that we believe are critical to strengthening the nation’s tourism industry in a global tourism landscape that is very different now due to COVID-19:
Understanding the needs, geographies, behaviors and demands of US, Australian, and New Zealand market segments based on what they need now during and post-COVID.
Continuing to shape and market hidden gems (or “troves”) like Vanua Levu.
Assessing past success with trade partners and preparing a clean audit of trade partners to continue to work with in 2021-2022.
Optimizing the nation’s use of influencers to prepare Fiji for international re-opening to its priority markets. The influencers chosen must fit Fiji’s brand and aesthetic and they must be matched with high-potential “viral” moments or experiences in Fiji. Fiji can augment the Bulanaires program and other influencer programs to match specific needs of target segments.
Addressing the preferences and needs of the adventure tourist segment, looking for remote experiences, as well as the yacht segment. Both segments have transformed during COVID-19 both economically and culturally.
Capturing and analyzing sentiment for specific tourism products, islands, high-potential hotels and resorts, and the Fiji travel brand overall.
Continuing to highlight the Tourism Talanoas that the organization puts on with the Ministry of Culture, Trade, Tourism And Transport (MCTTT), which can showcase local operators and providers in an industry important for everybody.
Tourism Fiji is at a central position in the nation’s tourism industry and preparing the right-fit branding strategy and marketing campaign and strategy is critical. Trove’s analytics, marketing and strategy teams look forward to seeing where Brent, Emma, and the rest of the impact-driven team take Tourism Fiji in the months to come!