The Fijian government has taken a major step to modernise the country’s tourism regulatory framework, unveiling a draft Tourism Bill that would replace the Hotel and Guest Houses Act of 1973 and expand formal regulation to cover the full array of tourism activity now operating across the islands. The move is being billed as an effort to bring coherence to a sector that has grown far beyond the hotels-and-guesthouses model of the 1970s and now includes integrated resorts, village stays, dive operators, wellness retreats, tour platforms and short-term rentals.
The draft Bill broadens the legal definition of tourism to capture services, experiences, transport, cultural offerings and digital platforms that host visitor activity. For the first time, community-based tourism, micro enterprises and indigenous operators are explicitly recognised within the statutory framework, signalling an attempt to bring small and non-traditional operators into a formal system of registration, standards and support. Short-term rentals such as those listed on platforms like Airbnb are also named, aligning obligations across different accommodation types to promote a more level playing field.
A national standards framework is a central feature of the Bill. Government documents accompanying the draft set out intentions to standardise assessments of tourism businesses, strengthen environmental protections and introduce destination-level planning so infrastructure, visitor flows and community engagement can be managed beyond individual properties. The Bill places a clear emphasis on sustainability and climate resilience, acknowledging cyclones, flooding, coastal erosion and other climate pressures as operational realities that must be embedded into tourism development and disaster-preparedness planning.
Industry sources say the direction of reform is widely supported, but they warn the details will determine success. Much of how the new regime will operate is left to subordinate regulations: fee schedules, audit and renewal processes, specific standards, compliance thresholds and enforcement mechanisms are not yet defined. That creates uncertainty at a time when the draft proposes a 12-month transition window for existing operators to register and meet new requirements — a timeframe stakeholders say assumes supporting guidelines, digital platforms and enforcement capacity will be ready on the ground.
Costs and proportionality are key concerns raised by small operators and community tourism practitioners. Registration fees, audits and potential penalties could be absorbable for larger resorts but may threaten the viability of micro enterprises and village homestays, especially in outer islands. Stakeholders have urged that any fee structure be transparent, reasonable and tailored to the diversity of operators, and that enforcement be aimed at helping businesses achieve compliance rather than excluding them from the formal system.
The draft also proposes a National Tourism Council in an advisory role. Critics say its composition — largely at the minister’s discretion under the draft — must be balanced with structured and consistent private-sector input, including voices from grassroots and indigenous operators who stand to be most affected by the changes. The next stage will be scrutiny of the Bill’s accompanying regulations, and industry groups say they expect to see those details before fully committing to the new system.
The Bill comes amid broader government moves to stimulate tourism investment, including recent tax incentives and targeted development plans. With the sector recovering and evolving, the debate has shifted from whether reform is needed to how it will be implemented. The draft Tourism Bill lays out the architecture; stakeholders now await the regulations and implementation plans that will determine whether the reforms strengthen Fiji’s tourism brand while protecting the livelihoods and resilience of smaller operators.