Fiji tourism drop-off

The travel brochures might depict a tropical paradise but the climate for tourism in Fiji's famous Denarau Island appears to be turning chilly.

The latest figures show Australians and New Zealanders are staying away from the resort hot spot in droves.

Visitor arrivals to Fiji are down 30 per cent compared to this time last year and occupancy rates sit below 50 per cent, a drop from the healthy 70 per cent average seen in previous years.

Visitors to five-star resorts like those on Denarau are most deterred, despite massive discounts of up to 80 per cent offered on stays at classy hotels and flight deals designed to counter the slide.

On top of this, three major developments on the island have hit trouble in recent months, including receivership of a Hilton resort extension that was funded by dozens of Australian and New Zealand investors.

Get the full story at: eTurboNews