Few countries lean more heavily on revenue from foreign tourism than Fiji.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry employed around one in eight Fijians. And while the Pacific Island nation is now back open to international travellers, the past 20 months has seen people across the country find new ways to earn a living.
Villagers almost entirely dependent on tourism
Nestled in the backdrop of the town of Nadi’s luxury resort precinct is Narewa village, where the community is almost entirely dependent on tourism revenue.
Mere Dawai, the wife of the village chief, says prior to the pandemic, around 90 per cent of residents worked in the hotel industry. However, their livelihoods were upended in March 2020 when Fiji’s borders closed to international tourists.
"I think out of all of the villages, ours was the [most] impacted," Ms Dawai said.
"Initially it was very difficult because we were not prepared. We didn’t realise it was going to affect us so much. But after a while, we got used to it."
Ms Dawai says the land became a lifeline for most people in the village.
"They started gardening. Before [the pandemic] we never used to garden. They started going to the river to collect fish to survive."
Spice vendor Khaiyum's family business relies on foreign visitors. Source: Abbie O'Brien
But she says, as challenging as the past two years has been for the Narewa community, there is a silver lining.
"After [the pandemic] happened, we realised we need to depend on something else. And that is why we encourage our children, don’t look at the hotel, don’t look at mowing the lawn or washing the clothes in the hotel. You look at being a doctor, a prime minister, being the next governor of Fiji."
At a sprawling fruit and vegetable market in downtown Nadi, vendors rely heavily on the business of those who work in the hotels.
But the absence of tourists saw many return to their home villages to grow their own produce. Stallholder Akanisi says it's crippled her income.
"Things have not been going well. [That] affects my family too. Our family depends on my market." Spice vendor Khaiyum says his store depends mostly on foreign visitors.
Market vendors in downtown Nadi lean heavily on the business of local tourism employees. Source: Abbie O'Brien
"Most of the customers come from overseas and they’re taking the spices to home but COVID-19 [has] affected the market."
Farming has become a lifeline for many
When the pandemic struck, Solo Kaumaitotoya was stood down from his job as a crew manager at Fiji Airways.
"I opened up my email, my work email and from my letter it says I’ve been terminated from Fiji Airways and thank you for my service. I worked there for almost 30 years," he said.
Mr Kaumaitotoya owns a swathe of land on the outskirts of Nadi. For the past year, he’s been farming papayas and selling them to the local community.
Former Fiji Airways employee Solo Kaumaitotoya has been farming papayas since the start of the pandemic. Source: Abbie O'Brien
"[It was] back to the land - there’s nothing else we can do.”
While international flights are once again touching down daily in Fiji, Mr Kaumaitotoya has no plans to return to the airline industry.
He says, farming, whilst not as lucrative, has become a far more reliable source of income.
"I think it is nice to see the aircraft coming in, people coming in - it’s good.
"But this pandemic, none of us have been through an experience like this. It's not like a cyclone where you rebuild and move on. One variant comes, another comes and we don’t know what the future brings. But what we do know is that we need to move forward. You’ve got to be persistent and that’s the way we Fijians are."
Now that Fiji is back open for business, Salesi Radroko has returned to his job as the manager of a water sports centre at a local resort. But he says he also turned to farming for the nearly 20 months that the hotels have been dormant.
Salesi Radroko has returned to his former job as the manager of water sports centre at a resort in Nadi. Source: Abbie O'Brien
"It was really sad when COVID hit us. I moved straight to the village to stay with family.
"But the good thing about to Fiji is when you move back to the village, we have land that we can utilise. So I just [went] back to the traditional way of living. Farming, fishing and then hunting, which is what our ancestors and my father did. That’s the way I was brought up."
Mr Radroko says financial assistance from the government and non-government organisations became crucial, while bartering - a traditional exchange system in Fiji - made a comeback. "We plant the crops and we can bring it down to town and meet people who come from the beachside villages on the coast. They bring fish and we exchange. So it was really good.
"The barter system worked really well during the pandemic."
Locals preparing to welcome back tourists
Afu Salayaa and Maraoli Duaka made their living selling handicrafts to resort guests before the COVID-19 pandemic. But the absence of foreign tourists forced them to find new ways to earn an income.
"[We did] planting, some farming, and went to the market sell it and make some food top. Some roti and we sell it at the market," Ms Salayaa explains.
But those days are over, with an influx of tourists expected in the coming months.
Prior to the pandemic, Maraoli Duaka made a living selling handicrafts to hotel guests. Source: Abbie O'Brien
Fiji is set to welcome 75,000 visitors through December and January.
"That’s good for us," Ms Duaka says with a beaming smile.
"[When] it's busy, we know all the ladies here are happy because we make FJD$200 to $300 [$134 to $201] in one day - not like farming."
