When did Fiji get so expensive?

We visited in November 2004 and are shocked that prices have gone up by close to 50%.

Dont tell me that! I am off there tomorrow for 2 weeks.

Any tips?

I lost track of how much the fuel increased since the beginning of the Iraq crises, but I reckon it is around 100%. Boats take a lot of fuel, you cannot compare it with a car. If you want to get your boat licensed for transport you have to have it serveyed twice a year by FIMSA (Fiji Islands Maritime Safety Administration), which includes boat and engine inspection, lifejackets, flares and all other safety equipment, as well as a captains course for the person who is driving the boat, plus an inspector from FIMSA who checks all the time that your boat is not overloaded. This costs money, too and is the reason, why the rates for boat transports increased dramatically.

The hotel license is more strict nowadays, you get your license only if police, health and council in charge approve. A lot of resorts/small hotels had to make adjustments to get their hotel licensed. You see that on your bill.

Agent fees: more and more new resorts pop up in the Yasawas and other well promoted tourist destinations, so competition is strong there. Resorts have agents at the airport and around Nadi who get offered 30% commission of what you book with them. This has to be paid, too and you are paying for it, of course.

Hotel Turnover Tax: Last June this Tax (3% on top of everything, what shows on your hotel bill, even a phone call) was introduced to help the government recover losses of revenue which they got due to the reduction of Value Added Tax on basic food items.

The import tax increased, so for example all food items made in Australia increased a lot. (Promote: "made in Fiji")

From your point of you be happy for the coup, because with the old government, prices would have increased even more. They wanted to increase Value Added Tax and introduce the Qoliqoli Bill, (to compensate land and waterrights owners) This would have shown on your bill, too.

And don't forget, inflation in Fiji is high.

But at least Europeans should not complain, the Euro stands very high compared to the Fiji Dollar and with this exchange rate, they don't pay more, may be even less than some years ago.

One tip: get away from the main tourist destinations in Fiji. More remote places are still much cheaper and you get better value for your dollar.

We were in Fiji last September and spent 5 nights at the Octopus Resort on Waya Island. I was checking their website recently and was amazed to find they have converted all their prices to U.S. Dollars. The same package( 5 nights for 2 in garden bure with meal plans and one way boat trip) that we had last year would now cost us about $300Cdn more this year. They seem to be cashing in on the popularity of their place. I would imagine other places are doing the same!

I suspect that prices havent increased by 50% rather the F$ may have inreased relative to the $Can?

Don't go by prices listed on the internet - there are a lot of deals in Fiji at the moment with resorts trying to attract visitors back after last year's coup. Email hotels directly and ask if they have any "specials" on. We've just spent 10 days in Fiji and got substantial discounts on listed prices.

The departure tax just doubled from 20F$ to 40F$. The Bula passes all increased by 20F$. Oarsmans and Octopus are booked out most of the time, so they don't give discounts. Try the smaller places like Otto&Funny and phone them directly. Even Bounty Island gives up to 60F$ discount if you phone and don't book through an agent. All agents take 15-20% off the booking.

The US$ is worth nearly 25% less in the last 6months, they have allowed their currency to be devalued for economic reasons, ie boeings cost 25% less than airbusses and imports cost more. (airbus sales have collapsed)

I suspect all these countrys base the charges on US dollars and have had to increase their charges to make up the extra value.

Hello,

I just spent two weeks in Fiji and found the cost of the accomodation did not match up with quality or the wages of the worker. Most resorts are owned by foreign companies anyways. We did venture over to Ovulau and Calaqi (sorry if spelling is wrong) and found these to be great places to visit and affordable.

We stayed at Malolo Island Resort one night for a wedding, we would have stayed 2 nights but they would not budge on their price even though many bures were unoccupied. I am so glad we did not stay there another night. The service was not good and the rooms were average and certainly not worth $350 USD/night.