The $57.4 million economic contribution from international yacht visitors in 2025 is expected to benefit Fijian businesses and communities, with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka revealing that 824 international yachts visited the country, generating $52 million in direct visitor expenditure.
Gavoka highlighted this in Parliament while responding to a question from MP Sakiusa Tubuna on the Ministry's coordination with relevant agencies to address yacht clearance and administrative issues raised by the yachting sector.
The Deputy Prime Minister says yachting plays an important role in Fiji's tourism economy as much of this money is spent in marinas, local businesses and island communities outside the country's main tourism centres.
He says the Ministry is working closely with relevant government agencies to address yacht clearance and administrative issues raised by the yachting sector.
The Deputy Prime Minister says some of these issues have remained unresolved for more than a decade.
He says a yacht stakeholders' meeting held at the Tanoa International Hotel in Nadi on October 7th, 2026 identified five key areas requiring action.
These include inconsistencies in the recognition of ports of entry, high out-of-port clearance fees, maritime licensing requirements, community anchorage fees and duplicated paperwork.
Gavoka says Port Denarau is recognised differently under customs and quarantine arrangements, while Savusavu is not recognised as a port of entry by every border agency.
He says this creates uncertainty and additional costs for visiting yachts.
The Deputy Prime Minister says the Ministry of Health is also reviewing the Quarantine Act and Public Health Act with the Office of the Solicitor-General to address some of these concerns.
He says a revised fee structure for out-of-port clearance has also been submitted to the Office of the Solicitor-General as part of proposed quarantine amendments.
Meanwhile, Gavoka says the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service is preparing to launch a new web-based Yacht Management System to simplify clearance procedures.
He says the system will provide a single platform for yacht registration, pre-arrival notifications, passenger and crew information, declarations and approvals from relevant agencies.
Gavoka says the existing clearance documentation will be reduced from 13 pages to approximately three pages, removing the need for yacht operators to repeatedly submit the same information.
He says system development, functional testing and user acceptance testing have been completed, while training has been delivered at all Customs ports.
Gavoka says the system is expected to be launched shortly.
The Deputy Prime Minister also revealed that his Ministry is pushing to increase the permitted stay for visiting yachts in Fiji from two years to five years following concerns raised in Parliament about the reduction of the permitted stay from five years to 24 months under the 2024/2025 National Budget.
Gavoka says the longer yachts stay in Fiji, the more money they spend in the local economy.
He says extending the stay period is an area the Ministry is actively exploring.
The Deputy Prime Minister adds the aim is to make yacht clearance requirements and charges clearer and more predictable while maintaining border security, public health and biosecurity safeguards.
