TRAVEL

What Africa Can Learn From Fiji About Sustainable Tourism Development

Comments by R.S. Mracky, The African Times/USA Editorial Board Director, and Member of Africa Travel Association Board of Directors

More of us, including governments, economists and the society at large, have become concerned with our collective future – the future our children and their children will inherit.

This concern is the basis of “sustainable” and sustainable anything – be it the economy, agriculture or tourism – all these deal with the concept of “what we do today that will not degrade or rob the future of its future.”

In terms of international tourism, there is a problem – it is very difficult to be conclusive about “sustainable” – certainly it includes ecological, or to use the current popular term ”green” – to reuse your towels – distilling drinking water shipboard in an effort to eliminate the plastic water bottles, as Crystal Cruises are instituting - asking hotel guests to use water sparingly - recycling “anything“ and “everything” – reduce “your carbon footprint” when and however you travel. And there is profusion of acronyms - REEP, CDM, MAB, AB32, IPCC, NOAA, CARB, WHG and on and on through the entire alphabet.

All these help – however, with all this knowledge, every day, whether we are at home or away from home on a holiday, we consume part of the next generation’s future – the “sustainable” question needs to be: “can what we step on and in essence injure, can it return to its original state,” an example would be stepping on a blade of grass and the grass springing back as if we were never there, or what we consumed can it be replaced, or what we eat can it be regrown.

“Sustainability is more than peripheral short-term environmental protection effected on a case-by-case basis to ward off risks; rather it means blanket, comprehensive and long-term protective care in line with the enduring responsibility we bear for the world around us, for the world we share with others and for the world of the generations to come.” stated in a paper by Prof. Dr. Peter-Christoph Storm. He stressed that to sustain sustainability, a social and environmentally sound market economy must be the ultimate goal – in terms of tourism it becomes a concept of national tourism policy.

Of all the “tourism economies” and now more and more are coming on line that speak of conservation and position themselves as green, sustainable tourism destinations, one stands out brilliantly.

It is FIJI, with all her islands in the middle of the Pacific.

Fijians have surmised that sustainability was important to all aspects of their future – their economy, and overall durability. Tourism has been identified as their major export product, currently bringing in 25% of their GDP with about 600,000 per year visitors, and that needs to be sustained, and provided for. Without an overall set of programs and combined involvement of the government, the private sector, the resorts, hotels and everyone in tourism and most importantly, the people of Fiji, the anticipated 1 million visitors by 2016 could become an ecological disaster.

In terms of economic development and sustainability, Fiji has placed priority on tourism as the least investment intensive industry, with manageable ecological and sustainability impact, the highest employment ratio and one of the highest ROI – certainly better that building a steel plant and polluting the Pacific.

To make it work the managements of Fiji, private and public; top resorts, retailers, travel operators and environmental societies have teamed up and launched proactive environmentally-conscious initiatives, to make Fiji one of the most unspoiled visitor vacation destinations in the South Pacific.

One of Fiji’s top tourism executives, Ms. Ilisapeci Matatolu relates one of the more profound ingredients within Fiji’s efforts - sustainability being anchored to local cultural heritage: “…without the environment there would be no economy! For small fragile economies like Fiji, we have to ensure we do all we can to protect our environment for perpetuity – we have so much wisdom in our traditional customs and practices that can be adapted to modern conservation practices.“

One example is the “Tabu,” a Fijian custom that places a reef under village protection and off limits to fishing after the death of a high chief in a village. Under Tabu, fishing in the reef areas surrounding the village is banned for 100 days. Fiji has taken this traditional custom and expanded it to create Marine Protected Areas (MPA), a unique application of traditional customs to sustainability. At the moment, Fiji has over 170 MPAs managed by individual villages. The goal is to protect 30% of Fiji’s reefs by 2020.

Fiji society is very giving, with high respect and dedication to their children – thus the reforestation was positioned as a gift by the current generation to Fiji’s future generation - under the “Plant a Million” Fiji will have over million new trees by 2012.

Ms. Matatolu provided an insight to the private and public sector cooperation: “In one of our island resort regions (Mamanuca Islands) the resorts have teamed up with village communities in a program called the Mamanica Environmental Society (www.mesfiji.org).” The Society’s purpose is “Sustaining community livelihood and tourism through environmental protection” and serves as a tangible grouping of efforts and ideals to secure Fiji’s sustainable tourism.

Ms. Matatolu adds: "…our long term goal is to become the first country in the world to implement a national low carbon tourism sector program. This is a critical area for us because we know that the environment is an important part of the decision making process with international travelers.”

Africa and the general tourism industry everywhere, need to take a closer look at Fiji.

Flying Off To Lagos

Sylvia Frommer-Mracky, Travel Editor - trvleditor@aol.com

If you are a frequent flyer to Lagos, Nigeria, from New York or London, then you should be familiar with the best options now available. It seems that every airline wants to fly to Lagos; it has become a West Africa hub of sorts.

Lately I had the pleasure, and I mean that literally, to fly on an airline that supplies this pleasure in large quantity. Have you heard of Arik International Airlines? It is Nigerian owned and has been flying for over two years using one of the most sophisticated carrier equipment available.

Arik Air is a privately and wholly Nigerian owned commercial airline with a commitment to the people of Nigeria to deliver new standards in aviation. In the past the airlines based in Nigeria had a dubious reputation. They continued to display poor airline safety factors and the Nigerians were wanting for a decent, reliable and safe transport.

Arik Air was not born overnight but every effort by its chairman, Dr. Arumemi-Ikhide made it come to fruition. From a privately owned Hawker jet aircraft just for business transport around the country back in 2002, it grew one aircraft after another until it reached the proportions of a genuine international airline. The official inauguration was on October 30, 2006.

Let’s look at how far this airline has “climbed” since that date in 2002. It took but 36 months for the Arik Air fleet to gain a total of 25 aircraft all housed in the “state of the art” facilities.

I can give you some aircraft names but I don’t truly know these as well as I should. Let’s give it a try. The first plane was a Hawker Jet then there were three Bombardier CRJ900’s, B737-300, B737-800, Dash 8s and presently a newly acquired Airbus 340-500 series. Read my first paragraph and imagine the passenger comfort offered.

On December 15, 2008, Arik Air successfully launched its first long-haul flight between Lagos and London Heathrow. What a success story, a Cinderella airline able to accomplish world-class long haul flights by the end of 2009.From the U.S., as of now, Arik Air flies out of Kennedy’s terminal 5 three times a week with an international crew. You may hear Portuguese spoken and that’s because Arik Air partners with Hi Fly Transportation Aeros S.A. of Portugal.

Arik Air is expanding into the world and will have Boeing B777s, B787s and Airbus A340-500s within the span of ten years.

The network now covers eighteen domestic cities in Nigeria, five regional countries, Accra, Ghana, Cotonou, Benin, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Banjul, The Gambia and Dakar, Senegal. Internationally Arik Air serves London to Lagos and to Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, Johannesburg and New York.

Presently in the A340-500 flagship, there are 36 Premier Class and 201 Economy seats.

Returning to my comment above, pleasure begins when entering Premiere Class and there is a communal area with a bar lounge, sofas and a seat-free space for socializing.

I traveled down the aisle to my window seat compartment offering me a 17 inch monitor, a super flat bed with a new generation in-built massage system and space to keep my handbag, shoes with hat and jacket stowed away above. Bedtime produced comfortable pajamas, slippers and of course the obligatory accessory kit with almost everything you might need during the night. But before bedtime there was mealtime and a menu offering us choices for a four-course meal. Did I write pleasure up above? Now you can equate with me as to what pleasure is.

A peek into economy, where most of us usually sit, there is comfortable seating with attractive appointments.

Keep a watch on this growing airline because it will be coming to a city close to you somewhere in the world.

Arik Air has created choices and it should be on the top of your travel itinerary. All this has culminated, at this point, as an airline with whom “Nigeria and the rest of Africa would be proud to fly.”

Your African expert travel agent can assist you on all your travels to the African continent and getting you on any Arik flight.

IMPORTRANT TRAVEL NEWS:

New Passport Fees Imposed by U.S. State Department

Effective July 13, the U.S. State Department imposed new fees for many of its passport-related products and services.

The total cost of a new passport will increase from $100 to $135 for adults (age 16 and older) and from $85 to $105 for minors.

Renewals will increase from $75 to $110 for adults and from $60 to $80 for minors.

Travelers needing extra visa pages will pay $82. Previously, this service has been offered free.

Your passport should be current and if you are traveling overseas then it should have not less than six months until expiration and have at least two available “empty” pages.

For any Africa, Caribbean, U.S. or world travel questions ask the Travel Editor,
either by email: trvleditor@aol.com

or write:
The African Times/Travel Editor, 5515 West Rosecrans Ave., Suite 213
Hawthorne, California 90250