Tourism in Fiji is a powerhouse, contributing around 40 per cent to the nation's GDP and serves as a major source of employment. Yet, for many locals, this booming industry has long remained largely inaccessible.
Matelita Katamotu, founder of a social enterprise, said laws and regulations around the industry were made that suited investors but not necessarily locals.
"Despite tourism being the biggest sector ... the Indigenous did not have a vehicle and association to play that part to empower, to push for policies to suit Indigenous," she told Sisters, Let's Talk.
"It was not to our favour ... And there was no platform for Indigenous women to be able to share their learning, to network and to strengthen their position in Fiji. And I would say that's the same for the Pacific."
Drone view of Fijian valley and village.
Initiatives like Matelita Katamotu's aim to bring tourism dollars to villagers' pockets.(Image: domoikaadventures.com)
Ms Katamotu has worked in tourism and business for a number of years, but never in her backyard.
Then, three years ago, she founded Domoika Adventures, a social enterprise that belongs to the clan of Nadakunibure located in the province of Namosi, about 1.5 hours from Suva.
It was inspired by her trips to the village as a child.
"I was living up in the highlands and seeing the waterfalls. Every year, we would go, and it would always be different; we'd never want to return to Suva. But the business really stemmed as a result of COVID," she said.
Pandemic push to start business
During COVID-19, villagers were unable to afford necessities for their daily meals and sustenance.
"Many of these were farmers who were also casual workers, like security. They were working in shops … and these villages that had casual jobs around Suva had to return back to farming," she said.
"For my own family to not be able to have salt and sugar and not even see $5 for more than three weeks at a time, it triggered me enough to start a social enterprise."
Large group of Fijians smile and pose for picture.
Ms Katamotu says the social enterprise gives back by allocating half of its earnings to the community through employment of the village youth and women.(Image: domoikaadventures.com)
She wanted to bring local tourism to the highlands and sat down with her village to pitch her idea.
"It was also an opportunity to present to the communities, to my family and say, 'Hey, there are locals who're willing to pay a lot of money to travel and come and visit the waterfall, come and eat your local food, come visit villages, because there are a lot of Suva-dwellers, people that have been in urban areas who have never stepped foot into villages'," she said.
"So there was an opportunity to create something from their backyard and venture out into tourism as a business to be able get money back into villagers' pockets."
Two Melanesian women take a selfie smiling to camera.
Matelita Katamotu (R) wants to see more women in business.(Instagram: domoika_adventures)
Locals seized on the idea, introducing cultural ceremonies, walking tours, and the waterfall to guests.
"We have agricultural produce that we take pre-orders for, or we create a market," Ms Katamotu said.
"So on the day when our 60 or 70 guests come into the village, the villagers are encouraged to set up a temporary market. And before they get to the transport, they take the opportunity to buy fresh produce before they return back to Suva."
Three years on, she's thankful she took the leap.
"One of the biggest challenges here for Fijian communities is women don't sit at the decision-making tables. We do not have a seat where resource usage is determined. We are situated in the kitchen.
"So that was one of my first challenges, was going back to my parents and saying, 'Hey, you've got a real problem. None of you males can come up with a creative solution to get money'. I've been in the industry, and I could use my know-how and networks to create a business, to channel that money to the communities."
Connection to the land
Jenny Leewai Bourke, director of Nukubati Island Resort in Fiji, has also seen her business grow over the past 35 years.
Nukubati is a top-of-the-range private island resort located near one of Fiji's best scuba diving sites on the Great Sea Reef, known to be the third-largest barrier reef in the world.
Jenny, who grew up in the area, purchased the location with her husband, Peter Bourke.
Initially, the pair had no intention of entering the hotel business, but her boutique seven-room resort has evolved into a private luxury resort offering eco experiences and cultural heritage.
"My advice would be, don't just look at it as a tourism venture … this is you being sustainable. Have your farm, have your food, grow your fruits," she said.
Aerial view of Nukubati Island Resort.
Nukubati Island Resort is an intimate resort off northern Vanua Levu.(Supplied.)
"Because that's the infrastructure you need to have a tourist come and stay with you ... most people think to be in tourism, you've got to build a property ... but with community-based tourism, you are using what you know, your farm.
"As Indigenous people, we have a connection to our vanua, our land, and this kind of tourism pegs us in our land, right back to our land, and that's a powerful position for us."
Headshot of woman with short grey hair.
Jenny Leewai Bourke, director of Nukubati Island Resort in Fiji.(Supplied.)