Page 5 - Fiji Traveller Issue 1

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In the long months when our borders were closed due to Covid, we
were part of many conversations about whether the pandemic was an
opportunity to reset and rethink tourism and travel in Fiji, in order to make
it a richer, broader experience.
We also had the immense good fortune through campaigns such as
‘Love our Locals’ to be able to explore parts of our own country we had
not seen before, places such as Taveuni, Lau, and the far reaches of the
Yasawa group amongst others. And what we saw reminded us of how
incredibly beautiful our nation is, and how diverse and rich the experience
of travelling in Fiji can be if you slow down, take a feeder road and see
where it leads you.

Globally, tourism forecasters and futurists say that post-pandemic,
many travellers want authentic experiences and human connections. This
magazine, and the Fiji Traveller website, are for those travellers. That’s
why in this inaugural issue, we travel to Namosi Eco Retreat, Levuka
and Toorak. It’s why we meet tourism legends such as Plantation Island
Resort’s Apisai Vasu.

We also want to champion Fiji’s creative community, which showed huge
resilience through Covid, not just surviving, but birthing a whole range
of new events, venues, collectives and work. They come from different
disciplines, but Sunia Soko Loga, Epeli Tuibeqa, Warwick Marlow, Nakita
Irvin and Peter Sipeli are all bringing energy and passion to the sector, and
are profiled in these pages.

For us, Fiji Traveller is not only a tool to plan your holiday or plan your
weekend. It’s also about travels of the mind. We hope you find content that
inspires, challenges and excites you in these pages.

Travel well,

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