Australia has played a crucial role in the recovery of Fiji - Kamikamica

Australians have played a crucial role in Fiji's tourism recovery following the opening of our borders in December 2021, and last month, over 42,000 Aussie visitors were welcomed to our shores.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for External Trade, Cooperatives and SMEs Manoa Kamikamica highlighted this during the Fiji Australia Business Council, 2023 Australia Day Breakfast event at the Grand Pacific Hotel.

He says this is the largest monthly figure on record.

Kamikamica says as we are all aware, Australian tourists continue to be the largest source of foreign arrivals.

He adds Australia continues to be one the largest sources of foreign direct investments (FDI) in Fiji, and they have seen a strong rebound in investment from Aussie companies since borders reopened.

The Minister says in the previous financial year, there were over 40 registered investment projects from Australia across ten different sectors valued at over $56 million.

He further says they continue to see several investment projects in the pipeline come from Australia across a broad range of sectors, including education, renewable energy, green technology, ICT infrastructure, and business process outsourcing, to name a few.

The Deputy Prime Minister adds they are ready to work with the Australian Government in the development of Fiji.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Professor Biman Prasad says more than 300,000 Australians visit Fiji every year, and they are also Fiji's largest trading partner, with $1.2 billion in exports and imports.

He says that Australia is also a key source of personal remittances to Fiji, with over $300 million per year.