Businesses along the Suva–Nausori corridor recorded a sharp uplift in sales over the past few weeks as the University of the South Pacific graduation and the State funeral for former president Ratu Epeli Nailatikau coincided, local traders report. The twin events drew visitors from other parts of Fiji and overseas, delivering a timely boost to hotels, eateries, clothing and handicraft vendors in the capital’s markets and surrounding suburbs.
Jitesh Patel, president of the Suva Retailers Association, said the influx of attendees — particularly those who flew in for the funeral — translated into “significant increases” across several sectors. “The hotel industry, food outlets, clothing and handicraft businesses recorded increased sales,” Patel told this newspaper, adding that formal dress protocols prescribed for the funeral, which required attendees to wear black or white, helped spike demand for appropriate clothing and accessories.
At Suva’s Flea Market, Kinisimere Volau of Volau Arts Collection said business more than doubled during the busy period. Volau listed tabua, mats, tapa cloth, salusalu and woven fans as the fastest-moving items. “Because of the two ceremonies happening at the same time, my business thrived more compared to previous weeks,” she said, noting that sales of those traditional items had doubled her profit.
Tailors also reported intense, short-notice demand. Veitacini Serekitakitaki, owner of Veitacini Creation, said she spent the week working through a wave of last-minute orders for kalavata — traditional sashes — with some customers dropping in with morning orders and expecting collection by afternoon. “I had been very busy the whole week with all the sewing of the kalavata because of the State funeral and for the university graduation,” she said. Despite the rush, she described the period as a welcome lift to takings.
Not all entrepreneurs embraced the surge. An unnamed vendor said she turned down a number of orders rather than compromise on the quality of hand-made salusalu, pointing to a wider concern among small operators about maintaining standards under pressure. “Some entrepreneurs take a lot of orders during the busy period and fail to deliver best products, but for me, I don’t want to be like that. I want to make sure that my customers are happy and satisfied with the work I do for them,” she said.
The anonymous business owner also questioned the wider financial trade-offs of the State funeral. While acknowledging that government and citizens “did their very best” to farewell the late Ratu Epeli, she suggested the large expenditure could have been conserved for future hardships as living costs rise. “We are getting into a very critical situation due to the war and the rising cost of living will have a wide impact especially on the poor people or the less income families,” she said.
The surge offers a snapshot of how major civic and academic events can briefly energise Fiji’s micro, small and medium enterprises, particularly those rooted in traditional crafts and services. Traders and tailors welcomed the short-term windfall but the mixed reactions — between profiteering opportunities and concerns about overstretch and public spending — underline the tensions facing small-business owners navigating demand spikes amid broader economic pressures.