Europeans saviour for Pacific tourism

Robert Matau





 
When Richard Chiu flew into the Pacific in 1979, after building the Bali Hyatt Hotel in Indonesia, he fell in love with Fiji instantly.
  Two weeks later, he bought his second hotel—the just completed Hyatt Regency Hotel,  along Fiji’s Coral Coast, dubbed as a tourist hotspot.
  Thirty years later and rebranding his hotel chain with the Warwick identity, Chiu believes that while Asians have the money to burn, European travellers will be the saviour of Pacific tourism.
  That belief is fuelled by the proposed introduction of an Airbus 380 aircraft, which has the capacity to bring in more passengers per flight from Europe to the main gateways of the Pacific.
  Looking back at his 30th anniversary of investing in Fiji and later the Pacific, he told ISLANDS BUSINESS that the European market would be the best bet for the Pacific because Europeans spend longer holidays historically.
  “Chinese do not have long holidays like the Europeans, who have five to six weeks holidays,” Chiu said.
  “The Chinese don’t have that kind of luxury and they usually go to nearer destinations because they only have a few days, so you see them go to Singapore, Bangkok because they are short trips—just two to three hours away.
  “Japan is quite stagnant. I think the next big growth is Europe with the Airbus 380, which will be coming to Sydney very soon.”
  While he was enthusiastic about Hong Kong being a hop over to the Pacific for the European market, he believed the more obvious direct route for the European market would be Singapore with a possible Europe to Paris and Singapore to Nadi route.
  He said snorkelling, diving, watersports are activities that would attract European tourists to travel to the Pacific.
  “I think what Europeans are looking for are authentic cultures. They are looking to experience a different culture. And Fiji has a lot of interesting places to visit with rich cultural backgrounds. And also lots of outer islands to visit too.”
  However, one setback for this market, he said, would be the long flights they have to endure to arrive in the hub of the Pacific.
  “You can’t come to Fiji and catch a flight back to Tahiti. You have to fly to Auckland and catch another flight and double back up to Tahiti,” he said.
  “I have always told my colleagues the importance of developing flight schedules from Fiji to the other islands,” he said.
  “You can’t get from Fiji to Tahiti, it’s really impossible, you will have to fly to Auckland to get there. We need more inter-island flights to Fiji, to Samoa. I know there are two flights a week but that is not enough.
  “We need five and then Tonga needs to increase its flights from the current two. I think only then can the whole Pacific tourism develop much better, so when people come from Europe on a 20-hour flight they don’t want to just see one country, they want to see other parts of the Pacific.
  “They can come to Fiji and then fly onto Tonga, Samoa or Tahiti, and it would be a great help if the flights were there.
  “I have spoken to the European Commissioner of Transport for support.
  “It could be a regional airline or it could be owned by a government but I think it could be supported by an organisation like the European Union, which has funds to support tourism in developing countries.”
  Celebrating 30 years of operation in Fiji, Chiu said he was always asked why Fiji.
  “I have always been fascinated by the region ever since I read James Michener’s Tales of the South Pacific.
  “The beautiful images he created fired my imagination and the South Pacific was a place I desired to be a part of.
  “When the opportunity came to buy a nearly completed property in Fiji, I leapt at the chance to make it our company’s second hotel.
  “Warwick has continued to expand in the Fiji and the South Pacific. In addition to the Warwick Fiji Resort and Spa, the company owns the Naviti Resort, its sister resort on the Coral Coast; and Le Lagon Resort in Vanuatu. It also has leased locations in Tonga and Samoa where it is ready to build luxury resorts.
  “All these would not have been possible without the enormous support of our friends and colleagues in the South Pacific,” Chiu said.
  “We are convinced that the region will continue to grow as a major tourist destination as people come to see with their own eyes its unsurpassed beauty and to appreciate its unique culture.
  “We are now planning for the next thirty years and looking forward to serving our guests and enhancing the prosperity of the local communities.”
  After buying the Warwick in Fiji, he went on to buy the then New York Warwick Hotel and rebranded his whole hotel chain.
  But his love for the Pacific continues to grow—he is now eyeing an existing hotel in Bora Bora, Tahiti, and seriously looking at the Solomon Islands’ tourism market.
  “Yes the Pacific has been a good market but in the last two years it has experienced a slow down. However, I am reasonably confident it is going to come back soon,” Chiu said.
  He said his Vanuatu hotel was voted the best by stakeholders in the Vanuatu tourism industry, travel agents and tourism representatives.
  “Vanuatu is an excellent market. Despite a slow down, it is still a very strong market because it is nearer to Australia.”
  Today, Warwick International Hotels is a collection of over 40 of the world’s finest 4-star and 5-star hotels, resorts and spas, providing affordable luxury in prestigious locations in Europe, the United States, Asia, Africa, Bali and the South Pacific.
  When asked where he wanted to focus his hotel chains in the next five years, he simply said: “In as many countries in the Pacific as possible”.