Nestled in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean is the paradise known as the Fiji Islands. As the hub of the Pacific with travel connectivity to all the Pacific Island countries as well as to the Americas, Europe and Asia, Fiji offers the travelling public from the three continents an experience of a lifetime. While Fiji’s traditional source markets have been neighbours, Australia and New Zealand, its growing engagement with Asia is beginning to attract tourists from China and India. The number has increased significantly for the last few years and has resulted in a new direct flight route from Hong Kong to Nadi, the site of Fiji’s international airport. Tourists from China, South East Asia and India are beginning to discover this Pacific Island Paradise as an alternative destination.
Everyone who goes to Fiji will go through Nadi. This town, in the Western part of Fiji, established itself as Fiji’s tourist hub in the 1960s and continues to grow, even today. It is also the site of the largest integrated resort in the South Pacific, Denarau Island. It boasts eight large resorts, stunning beaches and an 18-hole championship golf course. You’ll find an excellent range of accommodation, with the resorts offering designer suites, stunning swimming pools and a wide range of restaurants. Whether you want to shop, have some adventure or experience some of the best dining Fiji has to offer, you’ll find it all at Denarau Island. Nadi shares Fiji’s tourist attractions with the other parts of Fiji. Spread throughout Fiji is something unique that is a dream for sea lovers: Fiji’s diving experience. As the “Soft Coral Capital of the World” and home to the “Great Astrolabe Reef”, a network of brilliant coral reefs surrounds our 333 islands and atolls. With around 1000 species of fish and several hundred types of coral and sponges, Fiji offers a unique diving experience. With over 4000 square miles of coral reef, Fiji Islands offer divers unparalleled marine biodiversity. Tourists will discover its picturesque islands, crystalline waters and exceptionally hospitable locals it is little wonder that Fiji is close to the top of many divers’ ‘To Do’ list.
The famous Somosomo Strait in the north, accessed from Taveuni, is the place of big pelagics and where incredibly colourful soft corals dominate the view. It is home to the highly rated sites of Rainbow Reef and the Great White Wall. The nutrient-fed channel of Bligh Water and surrounding picturesque islands of Koro, Wakaya and Namena in the Koro Sea is Fiji’s best claim as a world class dive destination and is a prime adventure cruising ground for liveaboards. Kadavu Island offers the real Fijian experience topside, and healthy, colourful reefs below the surface where those who want to get away from it all, without compromising the quality of diving, will be richly rewarded. Easily the best diving in southern Fiji, you can explore the rugged untamed reefs of Kadavu’s Great Astrolabe Reef where mantas play over vast fields of pristine hard corals. As well as having a truly awesome shark feeding dive for more experienced divers and thrill seekers, Viti Levu dives sites are the easiest to access when you arrive in Fiji, and resorts are normally only an hour or two’s drive from Nadi.
The world-renowned Beqa Lagoon offers some pretty handy resort diving, close to Fiji’s main island. The Lagoon has bommies and pinnacles, and a good variety of marine life, which will be popular with less experienced divers and those with little time on their hands. So if you want big fish action, macro-delights, pristine coral or adventurous liveaboards, Fiji promises it all, and there is always a warm Fijian welcome waiting for you.
Malaysians travelling to Fiji will fit in seamlessly because there are lots of similarities between the two countries. Like Malaysia, Fiji is a multicultural country with a population of 837,271 of which 475,739 are iTaukei (natives), 313,798 Indians and 47,734 of other ethnic groups, mostly Chinese. Although Fiji’s Muslim population is about 5%, Fiji is still the halal hub of the Pacific. Malaysians will not have an issue with the local delicacies because most staple food are the same. There are also mosques all over Fiji where Muslims can perform their spiritual obligations without any hassle.
Dive Fiji will present you with an experience that will be hard to forget.
Article from SUTRA Newsletter, Issue 26:
https://www.sutra.my/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Issue-26-Q4-2014.pdf
