The narrative surrounding “Fiji’s economic success” is gaining traction in Australia, and the bond between the two nations is set to strengthen further. Australia’s Assistant Minister for Trade, Tim Ayres, stated, “The truth is Australian families love Fiji.”
Mr. Ayres, who also holds the position of Australia’s Minister for a Future Made In Australia, participated via Zoom in the opening night of the 2024 Fiji-Australia Business Councils Joint Forum held in Suva. The event gathered over 200 delegates from both Fiji and Australia.
He expressed pride in Australia’s role in Fiji’s economic resilience, emphasizing that the nation’s recovery has been significantly driven by tourism, with Australian visitors playing a crucial part. “Fiji’s economic success story is remarkable, and I am proud to say that Australia is one of Fiji’s largest trade and investment partners,” Mr. Ayres remarked.
In 2021, the two countries had a two-way trade in goods and services worth $812 million, a figure that surged to $3.2 billion by 2023, marking an impressive nearly 294 percent increase. This growth has largely been fueled by Australians’ eagerness to travel to Fiji, attributed to factors such as proximity, competitive pricing, and improved flight connectivity.
In 2023, Fiji welcomed almost 930,000 visitors, surpassing pre-pandemic levels and exceeding 2019 figures by four percent, with nearly half of those visitors being from Australia.
Beyond tourism, economic collaboration between Fiji and Australia spans various sectors, including agriculture, fisheries, and business process outsourcing. In 2023, nearly 3,000 Australian businesses exported goods worth $562 million to Fiji.
Mr. Ayres highlighted support for Pacific Trade and Invest (PTI) to boost Fijian exports to Australia, with PTI facilitating $49 million worth of exports in 2023, a $12 million increase from the previous year, largely due to kava exports.
He expressed satisfaction with the performance of Fiji’s kava industry, which has benefitted from current import arrangements, resulting in 123 tonnes of Fijian kava being shipped to Australia, making Fiji the second-largest kava exporter to the country.