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71.6 per cent decrease in Fiji-UK trade
Trade between Fiji and the UK has been on the decline since the pandemic. Total trade in goods and services (exports and imports) between the UK and Fiji was £23 million (about $F61.8m) in the...
Resort shares Christmas spirit
The Radisson Blu Resort Fiji team took time earlier this week to visit its Nadi business partners and stakeholders with hearty cheers, Christmas carols, and gifts from Santa. Director of sales and marketing Ema Rayasi Leawere said: “After reeling from a global pandemic, and revitalising all areas of the tourism sector; it is only fitting...
Cokanasiga is new CEO
FIJIAN Michael Cokanasiga has been appointed as the chief executive officer for Ministry of Revenue and Customs in Tonga. Mr Cokanasiga has signed a four-year contract that starts on January 9, 2023, the Public Service Commission of Tonga announced on Thursday. He has been employed by the Transparency International and the Colonial Fiji Group of...
Quarterly tourism earnings rise by 53.2pc
National earnings from tourism over the July to September quarter (Q3) have ended at $517.1 million this year, according to a report by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics. Australia, New Zealand, USA and the Pacific Islands accounted for 93.8 per cent of earnings in the September quarter of 2022 with more than 50 per cent...
2373 share $9m
THE Sugar Cane Growers Fund (SCGF) has approved 2373 applications valued at $9.54 million as of November 30, 2022. SCGF chief executive officer Raj Sharma said 27 per cent more applications when compared with the same period last year. Mr Sharma made the comment during their mySCGF mobile app promotional draw and launching of the...
23rd December
Time for joy, friendship
CLUB Wyndham Denarau Island recently lit up for the festive season with a 10-metre Christmas tree. Assistant resort manager William Work said this was the time of the year which was associated with joy, love, warmth, friendship and family. The Saunaka Methodist Church choir brought out the Christmas mood with their melodious carols during the...
An eventful year
As we entered 2022, Mindpearl, like many other organisations, was still dealing with the impacts of the COVID pandemic within our business operations. We had been operating a hybrid work-from-the-office and work-from-home model, driving staff transport requirements downwards and with the overall workload still at reduced levels. We look back at the unforeseen challenges that...
Spotlight : The artists behind ‘Petals n Blossoms’
An aunt and niece duo with a talent for their art and a mind for business, Christine Volau and Josephine Tongia-Seruvatu started making flower arrangements for friends and family long before they thought to open their store, Petals n Blooms at the Flee Market in Suva. Both ladies, have been career women prior to opening...
Hotel re-opens in time for festive season
Novotel Suva Lami Bay hotel has finally reopened its doors for guests, travellers and diners to return. Having been shut down since the first COVID-19 lockdown, the hotel management took the opportunity to renovate and refurbish to reopen for the 2022 festive season. With some room refurbishments and the renovations to the convention centre still...
A new experience : Go-kart track open to the public
A dream come true for some enthusiasts, Fiji finally has an outdoor go-karting facility. Go Karts Fiji officially opened its tracks to the public with a cocktail and ribbon-cutting ceremony at the tracks in Sawani, Nausori on Wednesday, December 21 this week. Owners’ son-in-law and father-in-law duo, Elvin Pillay and Kamal Singh birthed the idea...
22nd December
Report : Firm records $7.7m loss
Lion One Metals Ltd; a Canadian resource company with their flagship asset the Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project, located in Fiji, has seen a decline in investment revenue according to their financial report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. The comprehensive loss for the year was Canadian $4,679,366 (approximately $F7.5 million). This, however, is...
Mining company announces new high-grade gold discovery
Lion One Metals Ltd has announced the results of its annual and special general meeting of shareholders held on December 15, 2022. Despite a significant decrease in investments and an overall loss for the year ended June 30, 2022, the company has continued its projects with minimal interruption. According to the company’s report, on August...
Growth forecast for Pacific – ADB
A NEW report by the Asian Development Bank forecasts economic growth in the Pacific to rebound in 2022-2023 with growth for the subregion projected to be 5.3 per cent in 2022 and 4.8 per cent in 2023. According to the Pacific Economic Monitor (PEM) this growth would be partly fueled by stronger-than-expected tourism activity in...
21st December
Hydrogen power
BORDEAUX – HDF Energy proudly celebrates its 10th anniversary. Over the course of a decade, the company has become an expert in high-power hydrogen power plants. A major accomplishment of the company’s industrial development will be the opening of its “gigafactory”. This manufacturing plant will mass-produce high-powered fuel cells serving not only the power industry,...
What feels like the end is often the beginning!
WELCOME to a series of articles where I focus on next year being a year of success. To begin our journey of success we have started by looking back on this year, 2022, and identifying what we have learned and what we can build on into 2023. This process is called reflection. Reflection provides us...
Labour out-migration remains moderate
THE December edition of the Pacific Economic Monitor says labour out-migration in Fiji has been steadily growing but remains moderate by South Pacific standards. Launched last week, the latest issue of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Pacific Economic Monitor (PEM) says a major driver has been Fiji’s access to various labour mobility schemes that Australia...
First localised gaming platform
Fiji now boasts a localised gaming platform thanks to BeeDigital Pte Ltd. The platform was launched yesterday in conjunction with a promotion challenge for Damodar Cinemas’ screening of Avatar: The Way of Water. The platform, IMI Games Fiji, currently has five free-to-play games available. The platform launches two challenges this week, the first through a...
Apps may increase hotel revenue
A RECENT report published by Kovena, a global hospitality payment processor, states that 41 per cent of hotel revenue is generated by on-site spending. The report provides hotel insights for the Pacific region. The Pacific Islands Edition of the Check-in & On-site Micro Report is part of a series of reports published by Kovena dedicated...
20th December
Dual pipeline project to better serve marine customers
TotalEnergies Fiji inaugurated its Dual Pipeline Project in Suva this week, enabling the company to expand its capacity to better serve its marine customers. The 1.3 kilometre dual fuel pipelines connect the TotalEnergies Walu Bay terminal to the Kings Wharf South and North fuel discharge and bunker points. The project was jointly launched by Ministry...
63,646 arrivals
Fiji received 63,646 visitors last month, a decrease of 9.3 per cent compared with October which had 70,152 arrivals. Provisional numbers released by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics show that while visitor arrival numbers for November 2022 improved greatly, the number was 7.9 per cent lower when compared with the visitor arrival numbers for November...
Top agents from AAA SoCal fall in love with Fiji
Marriott Momi Bay played host to 75 top selling travel agents from the American Automotive Association (AAA) of Southern California as part of the company’s Awards of Excellence trip December 6 to 11 this year. The agents, along with their guests, were treated to a big ‘Bula’ welcome on arrival as well as a ‘fun...
Matai agent incentive – 7 days of Fiji
Tourism Fiji has recently upgraded its Matai Specialist Training Programme, a set of online courses designed to arm travel agents with specialised travel information about Fiji’s sites, culture, experience packages, marketing information and other relevant material. To encourage more New Zealand travel agents to register and undertake the new Matai training, Tourism Fiji ran a...
19th December
Impact of Act on profits
BSP Financial Group Ltd’s (BSP) market announcement dated December 6, 2022 highlighted the increase in company tax rate for PNG Commercial Banks licensed under the Banks and Financial Institutions Act from 30 per cent to 45 per cent. The impact of this tax rate change on BSP’s current and future profits is stated below. Impact...
Christmas brings people together
With the spirit of Christmas already in the air, Radisson Blu Resort Fiji held its Christmas tree lighting ceremony recently. Resort general manager Charles Homsy said Christmas had always brought people together. “With that in mind, we have designed fun activities with the inclusion of special cuisine for every age that are tailor made at...
Rise in export, import of services
The Fiji Bureau of Statistics recorded increases in Fiji’s International Trade in Services Statistics for the September Quarter 2022. Statistics provided by the bureau show that Fiji’s export of services increased by $829.8 million, an increase of 879 per cent in the September quarter of this year when compared with the same period last year....
