The narrative surrounding “Fiji’s economic success” is gaining attention in Australia, signaling a strengthening relationship between the two nations. According to Australia’s Assistant Minister for Trade, Tim Ayres, “Australian families love Fiji.”
Mr. Ayres, who also serves as the Minister for a Future Made In Australia, delivered his remarks via Zoom during the opening night of the 2024 Fiji Australia-Australia Fiji Business Councils Joint Forum held in Suva, which attracted over 200 delegates from both countries.
He expressed pride in Australia’s role in Fiji’s economic resilience, highlighting that Fiji’s recovery has been significantly driven by tourism, with Australian tourists playing a crucial part in this.
“The story of Fiji’s economic success is remarkable, and I’m proud to say Australia is one of Fiji’s largest trade and investment partners. In 2021, our two-way trade in goods and services was valued at $812 million. By 2023, that figure has surged to $3.2 billion, a staggering increase of nearly 294 percent, largely due to Australians’ eagerness to travel to Fiji,” Mr. Ayres noted.
In 2023, Fiji welcomed close to 930,000 visitors, exceeding pre-pandemic numbers and surpassing 2019 figures by four percent, with nearly half of these visitors coming from Australia.
Mr. Ayres also mentioned that beyond tourism, the economic cooperation between Fiji and Australia spans various sectors, including agriculture, fisheries, and business process outsourcing. In 2023, about 3,000 Australian businesses exported goods worth $562 million to Fiji.
He noted that in 2023, Pacific Trade and Invest (PTI) facilitated $49 million in exports, marking a $12 million increase from the previous year, with the majority attributed to kava exports.
“I am very pleased to see Fiji’s robust kava industry taking full advantage of the current commercial importation arrangements, leading to 123 tonnes of Fijian kava being sold in Australia, making Fiji the second largest kava exporter to Australia,” Mr. Ayres added.