Tour operator goes hybrid
Green fleet WITH the growing number of tour operators and tourism logistics companies, every passenger moved makes a difference. And sometimes the business edge comes not only in volume of traffic but by the ability to
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Killing the golden goose
High taxes threaten tourism HIGH taxes and service charges have pushed Fiji’s major revenue generator into the more expensive destinations for tourists. With VAT increasing from 5 to 10 per cent and Service Turnover
Time to walk the talk
Conference to dialogue on tourism issues In a bid to provide a regional platform for dialogue on matters of interest in international and regional tourism, the first ever Pacific Tourism Insights Conference (PTIC) will
Church to set up uni
THE Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma will establish a Methodist University that will cater for students who don’t reach tertiary education. The proposal – which aims to provide Methodists, and others, with a
Permanent no more
“If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange apples then you and I will still have one apple. But if you and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas”
Watch this space
Emerging brand makes it to World Cup WHEN the West Indian cricket team took the field at Edgbaston in England last month, their kit was provided by local brand BLK. It’s a brand that was propelled onto the world scene
Suburban risk
Time to pay for vital services THE fire which destroyed a significant part of Hanuabada Village in Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby, is a stark reminder to the region of the need for functioning, well-equipped
Voice against injustice
IN August 1945 the United States destroyed the Japanese city of Nagasaki with an atomic bomb in an event which changed the world forever. More than 70 years later the race for nuclear supremacy continues unabated. Just
Melanesian challenge
Diplomat calls for greater sub-regionalism A SENIOR regional diplomat has called for more cooperation at sub-regional level to create more efficient service delivery by regional organisations. Melanesian Spearhead Group
Whispers
Leading diplomat FIJIAN diplomat Amena Yauvoli is the toast of the regional diplomatic community. Not only is he Director-General of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, Yauvoli is also Fiji’s climate change expert. That
French in the House
Pacific Islands go French AT least two major regional bodies have hit legal and administrative roadblocks as they move to implement the decisions of Pacific leaders to include the French territories of French Polynesia
Solomon Islands after RAMSI
ON June 30 the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) came to an end. Established in July, 2003, RAMSI has been a feature of life in Solomon Islands for more than a third of its history as an independent
Beauty with purpose
Miss World Fiji to use global pageant to spread divine word FULL-TIME missionary and university science graduate Nanise Rainima will represent Fiji at this year’s Miss World Pageant to be staged in China in November.
The world pledges to save our home
READING through the world’s pledges for the protection of our oceans during the first-ever Oceans Conference that Fiji and Sweden co-chaired at the United Nations headquarters in New York in June, one could easily be
Big blow for Pacific coalition at IMO negotiations
DESPITE the passionate plea of a coalition of Pacific leaders, the world’s leading shipping organisation has failed to agree to urgently tackle the industry’s impact on climate change. After a two-week meeting in
Shipping can’t afford to slow steam on climate
WHILE US President Donald Trump has his head in sand on climate change, shipping cannot afford the same luxury and must act to cut back on greenhouse emissions. More importantly for governments and shipping companies in
The decreed legacy of Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum
THE Attorney General and Minister for the Economy Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum is probably the most influential Minister this country has ever had. His influence is everywhere, in the Decrees, the Constitution, the Electoral
In the pursuit of gender inclusive peace
A PACIFIC network of peacebuilders committed to progressing commitments to gender inclusive conflict prevention and human security plans to continue more than a decade of work by celebrate the knowledge and strength of
New lease of life for vendors
BEFORE the break of dawn, Anare Volanavanua and his wife jump right into their daily routine of preparing their produce for selling at the Nadi Market. As days go by, age catches up with the perservering couple. Fatigue
Dreams born out of a family’s struggle
“RENOVATE and extend our home to be bigger and better than what we have now.” That’s the aspirations of a market vendor at the Nadi Market. Akeneta moved to her mother-in-law’s village with her husband a few
Keep Pacific nuclear-free
LAST month, the heads of the Pacific’s largest churches met in Auckland, New Zealand, and voiced concern over continued nuclear activities in the region. They also raised the fact that despite the continued cries of
Priest is Vanuatu President
Big shoes to fill for Tallis ON Thursday July 6, 2017, the people of Vanuatu welcomed their ninth Head of State. Obed Moses Tallis became the new elected President of the Republic of Vanuatu after the Electoral College
O’Neill wins bizzare elections
PAPUA New Guinea’s Prime Minister Peter O’Neill recorded history by being elected into office for a second year term on July 2. He defeated a determined coalition of parties known as ‘The Alliance’ in a vote 60