Police to work with Western Division Tourist Unit after complaints of harassment in Nadi by touts and unethical retailers

Police have taken the serious concerns raised by the Nadi Chamber of Commerce and Industry on board and will work with the Western Division Tourist Unit that is in operation.

Assistant Police Commissioner – Operations Livai Driu says they will address this through the Divisional Police Commander West’s Office.

This is after calls made by the Nadi Chamber of Commerce to urgently activate the Tourism Police Unit in Nadi following numerous complaints of harassment in Nadi Town.

Nadi Chamber of Commerce and Industry President, Doctor Ram Raju says in the latest post on “Fiji Holiday - Information Group” that has around 35,000 members on Facebook, a tourist is alleging that she was grabbed by the hand and forcefully told to enter a particular shop for handicraft and gift buying.

He says a similar group named “Fiji Island Holidaying Discussion Group” that has over 61,000 members on Facebook also carries numerous such posts and comments from visitors to our shores.

Doctor Raju says the latest call for a Tourism Police Unit has been sparked by numerous social media posts by disgruntled tourists who have had bad experiences in the town especially with touts and certain unethical retailers.

He says with the presence of travel and tour guiding social media groups on popular handles like Facebook, tourists are not hesitating to share their bad experiences about Nadi town on such platforms.

Doctor Raju says such posts are a wake up call for us and are very detrimental to the image of Nadi as a tourist town.

He says all the relevant stakeholders need to be proactive and take necessary steps in advance to avoid such incidents in the future.

He adds they need greater physical presence of police officers in the town and there needs to be regular scheduled patrols to serve as a deterrent for touts and business houses encouraging such practices.

The chamber is in the process of seeking information and clarification from Tourism Fiji and Fiji Police on their stance and plans on this matter.