Few cancel plans for Fijian holidays

Press, 21 May 1987, Page 3

Few cancel plans for Fijian holidays

Most Canterbury people planning holidays in Fiji are sticking to their plans in spite of the troubles there, according to Christchurch travel agents. Approached before the Prime Minister’s call last evening for holidaymakers to stay away, most travel agents reported bookings still coming in. People seemed to expect the situation in Fiji to improve, said one agent, and others said that only those planning to travel within the next few days had changed their plans. One agency, apparently an exception, reported that all who had booked for Fiji had cancelled. “We have had four cancel this morning. We now hold no bookings for Fiji,” said a spokesman. Popular alternative destinations were those in the same price range, such as the Cook Islands and Queensland, or, more distant, Singapore and Hawaii. Even by late afternoon,

after reports of serious race riots in Suva, cancellations for Fiji remained few. Passport United Holidays, regarded as Christchurch’s biggest wholesaler of tours to Fiji, reported that most would-be travellers were delaying rather than cancelling altogether. The general manager, Mr Fergus Clark, said that the upheavals in Fiji had not affected bookings much until Air New Zealand cancelled its weekly direct flight to Fiji on Tuesday evening, in response to the Nandi hijacking. For those who had been wavering, the cancellation "made up their minds for them,” said Mr Clark. About half had rebooked for other destinations, Australia, Hawaii, and New Caledonia being popular choices, he said. The rest had merely delayed their holidays in Fiji, and new bookings were still coming in.

“Those planning to leave in the next week or 10 days are still going,” said Mr Clark. Soon after the reports of rioting Mr Clark said that nothing had changed. If that was going to prompt more people to cancel their travel, he expected cancellations today, “once the news had filtered through.” Mr Clark said that the message he was getting from the agents in Fiji was that it was “business as usual.” Most resort areas were well away from the problems, he said. “They are certainly not saying, ‘Don’t send people.’ The message is fairly positive,” said Mr Clark. The president of the Fiji Hotel Association, Mr Michael Dennis, assured would-be tourists yesterday of a “warm and friendly weclome.” Mr Dennis said that the tourist industry in Fiji was runing normally in spite

of the coup. The country was calm and it was business as usual at all hotels and resorts, he said in a telexed message from Suva. “We don’t see any need for travellers to change their bookings. All our guests can be assured of a relaxed and friendly welcome,” he said. Air New Zealand’s southern regional manager, Mr Paul Bowe, said that flights into Nandi were being reviewed daily. Yesterday’s outward flight from Auckland overflew Fiji direct to Honolulu, and today’s incoming flight from Honolulu to Auckland would also overfly Fiji, he said. It would be decided today whether tomorrow’s flight would land at Nandi but, as of yesterday, all flights from tomorrow onward were regarded as "live,” including the next “Southern Connection” flight from Christchurch, due on Tuesday.