Fiji is the jewel of the South Pacific. Its 333 islands are home to some of the most spectacular scenery on Earth, a year round tropical climate and the promise of virtually every holiday activity you can conceive of. And, as our webchat will demonstrate beyond doubt, this earthly paradise demands your express consideration if you’re thinking of a trip to the southern hemisphere this year.

With Baz Luhrman’s Oscar-tipped epic Australia currently cleaning up at the UK box office, the land of the Southern Cross looks more alluring than ever to winter-weary Brits in search of a sun-kissed vacation. But, beautiful though it is, there’s much more to the South Pacific than just Oz. If you plan to travel there this year you’ll have to make a stopover en route, and Fiji is the perfect place to make the absolute most of it.

Intrepid types in search of adventure can backpack through its spectacular lush forests and hike its mountain trails, while romantic couples can bring their fantasies to fulfilment in breathtaking surroundings. Thrill junkies craving an adrenaline fix will be duly satisfied with white water rafting and ocean speedboating. And for truly dedicated water babies, diving down among some of the most beautiful soft coral in the world is an experience never to be forgotten.

Fiji’s culture is rich and varied too, comprising indigenous, Indian, Chinese and European traditions, just ripe for discovery and exploration. Log on to the chat to find out more about the myriad pleasures this exquisite holiday destination has to offer. Jane West of Tourism Fiji is your expert guide to the islands, and she will also be answering your questions live online during the chat. Searching for paradise? You’re already halfway there...

Jane West of Tourism Fiji joins us live to discuss Fiji as the perfect holiday destination.

For more information visit www.fijime.com

H: Victoria Letch, host
J: Jane West, Tourism Fiji

H: Hello and welcome to Holiday ’09, I’m Victoria Letch. With the Oscar-tipped epic Australia currently cleaning up at the UK box office, the land of the Southern Cross looks more alluring than ever to winter-weary Brits in search of a sun-kissed vacation. Beautiful though it is, there’s much more to the South Pacific than just Oz. So if you plan to travel there this year you’ll have to of course make a stopover en route, and Fiji is the perfect place to make the most of it all. Joining me to tell me about this and much more is Jane West from Tourism Fiji. Jane, a very warm welcome

J: Bula vinahka Victoria

H: Oh what was that?

J: That’s Fijian greetings, only normally we have a flower in our hair, and we wear it on the right if we’re married and on the left if we’re unmarried and –

H: Do you know what, I must secretly be a genius because I came in here when you weren’t in the studio and I popped it right there on my left side of my head

J: It’s a very tropical greeting isn’t it?

H: How lovely. One more time and I’ll see if I can –

J: Bula vinahka

H: Bula vinahka, I mean that could go horribly wrong if you don’t know –

J: But bula is the easiest way of saying it, and you’ll hear it everywhere in Fiji, along with the Bula smile, Fijians are – really the essence of Fiji is the Fijian people, they’re very warm, very hospitable

H: How lovely. Right we are going to get stuck in to all of that, so I want to go to the very basics, and I’m going to pretend that I’m going on holiday to Fiji because I’ve never been, sadly. If I was stepping off that plane and I was making my way to my resort or wherever I was staying, what sort of landscape can I expect to be seeing?

J: Well the first thing that greets you, and it’s always wonderful arriving at dawn – Fiji is exactly halfway round the world. It does take a long time to get there, I’m not going to lie to you, but it is a perfect stopover, it’s very close to Australia and New Zealand and is commonly used by backpackers as a stopover for example. But also it’s just such an exotic paradise, something we dream of really from childhood, that when you arrive and the sun’s shining, you’re surrounded by volcanic mountains, lush landscape. Fiji is very fertile, very green, lots of flowing rivers, Fiji water for example is some of the purest water in the world, it’s exported worldwide. So it’s generally a very safe country to visit, and it’s just very pretty with all the tropical flowers as you make your way to your resort or island

H: I’m glad I know that about the water, because I’ll admit something to you, I’m very shallow, and I just drink those because I think they look pretty, so I’m actually drinking something really good for me

J: You’re already on holiday

H: I’m already on holiday. Right, so it’s a beautiful place to go. If I want to go there just to relax and rejuvenate, would you say that’s an ideal location for that?

J: Absolutely. I think the diversity of Fiji is incredible, because with 333 islands, most of which are surrounded by fine white sand, but you also have so much adventure and interesting things to do, and it’s a living culture. It’s a very interesting place to visit as well

H: Now you’re talking about it being a long flight. Sometimes it’s worth making those flights of course to get that different sense of culture. So are we talking about a culture-heavy place, is it very different to what we’re used to, say, in England?

J: Absolutely there are 700 chiefs for example, so although they drive on the left and it was formally part of the British colonies, you know 100 years ago it wasn’t always the friendliest place. For example you know this is a cannibal tool

H: Oh she’s turning on us everyone – she’s turning on us!

J: You know 100 years ago it was quite a fierce land and if you were beaten you were eaten

H: That’s a nice little tag line isn’t it?

J: I know it is listed as one of the most friendly places in the world. And I have to say that it does deliver the dream. It certainly sounds great at dinner parties, you know if you’re impressing your friends

H: Yes

J: But if you’re looking for a honeymoon or somewhere really romantic, a little bit off the beaten track that offers, you know, perfect beach situation but also the cultural experience. Not everyone wants to be on a beach for two weeks. You know they need to know that there are things to do, and lovely people to mix with as well.

H: Absolutely. I’ve got to say I’m sold already, I was sold when I saw the outfit, I’m there. If you need some persuasion though, have a look at this, we’re going to show you a short film that shows you the beauty of this wonderful place. So Jane take a look down there

Video Footage

H: My goodness me that looks absolutely breathtaking. Just a reminder for everyone at home, of course if you want to ask Jane any questions whatsoever about Fiji, if you’re thinking about going or maybe we’re tempting you, then do pop your answers into the box, press submit and we’ll work very hard to get as many answered as we possibly can. So make sure you get those questions coming through. Now I’ve got to say the dreaded two words, the words of the moment – credit crunch. Now surely this is actually quite a good thing to do at the moment, to travel?

J: Well certainly the fares have never been cheaper

H: Yes

J: Certainly if you were to look at, for example Quantas Holidays they offer superb stopover destination and fares are as little as £700 return and you can build in other parts of the world as stopovers as well. But really the joy of Fiji is the fact that there are over 100 islands where there are different resorts, so you can stay in a village for a pound a night, right up to the – some of the top 20 most luxurious resorts in the world. You know there’s nothing more exciting than arriving on your honeymoon and flying to a private, luxury retreat in a helicopter, but we all know that that’s not always a reality for the rest of us and therefore getting around is very cheap, you know there’s a great boat network there, great passes that you can buy where you can hop on, hop off, and the same with tours around the island too. And it really is as affordable or as luxurious as you want to make it

H: So it can be bespoke and tailor made?

J: Definitely

H: Because a lot of people at the moment are thinking I want to get outside of Europe for my holidays, so it is worth maybe thinking about long haul and going somewhere a bit exotic and –

J: It is and I think it’s never been more within our reach

H: Yes

J: I think the choice of flights for example, the new A380 with Quantas is just launching this weekend and will offer an excellent form of comfort, and they connect with Air Pacific. Air Pacific is our national carrier, they’re the planes with the islands painted on the sides, so you’re really on holiday the moment you get on board, and people have a very island-style attitude, but it’s not just a holiday. I think people need to consider it as an opportunity of a lifetime, because it’s such an exotic experience, but one that never leaves your heart. I started travelling to Fiji nearly 15 years ago, and it’s like a love affair. Each time I go, I find more and more things to do and I enjoy it all the more.

H: Sounds wonderful. It just sounds so lovely. I wish we could be there right now. Now we’re talking a lot about how relaxing it is and how fun it is, so presumably if you are there with your other half, you can have a really beautiful time just enjoying life together. What if, someone like me went, you know a real adventurer (not really, but you know) – I want to go and I want to dive and I want to do all sorts of exciting activities. Will it cater for my type?

J: Absolutely. I bet you’ve never been on a shark dive before?

H: No! Obvious reasons!

J: There are some great activities, for example you can zipline over the forest canopy

H: Wow

J: One of the biggest surf waves is in Fiji, called Cloudbreak, so there’s some quite high adrenalin sports, shot over boats, going through the villages sometimes, so again always combining some form of culture and experience at the same time. But of course for those of us who like to lie on the beach there’s hundreds of palm trees with hammocks and the sunsets are gorgeous of course

H: I have to say I fall into that category

J: The hardest thing is coming home

H: I can imagine. I mean it sounds like the type of place when you’re there, why do I live anywhere else? I’m going to stay here forever

J: It’s very tempting

H: So if wanted to go with a group of girls, would it be still quite a good thing for me to do that. Lots for us to do, nightlife and –

J: Yes, the nightlife is more in the culture and what’s provided by the resort. One of the things that Fijians love to do is make music and food. With the music they have this Lali drum which is you know great fun, but also the Kava ceremony which is a wooden bowl, it centres around a wooden bowl on a mat on the floor, and they make a drink which is served in a coconut shell. This is not the cava, the fizzy cava that we –

H: I was going to say, ok

J: Know, this is Kava with a “K” and that is your welcome into Fiji, it marks any important occasion. So if you’re lucky enough to be invited by a chief to the village

H: Yes

J: Even though it may not be your traditional disco night, it would be an experience never to be missed and you will enjoy the Kava for the evening and maybe finish off with a little Meke dancing at the end with some handsome warriors

H: Handsome warriors? I’m still looking for my warrior. That sounds lovely. I’m telling you I’m going next week! Now as I said we are live so if you are submitting questions, thank you for that. Sophie’s emailed in, it’s probably relevant to take this question now. She’s asking “is it a safe place for a girlie holiday?” We’ve just touched on that. You know certainly people who are a bit younger and the parents might be concerned you would –

J: Well for most people they’re either on an escorted tour or they’re with friends or they’re staying in a resort. Most of the resorts on the outer islands in particular, they may be the only resort on that one island, you have the island to yourselves, so it’s a very secure environment and the people are very friendly. Everyone speaks English, and everyone’s very charming and very hospitable. So it’s very easy to make local friends that can point you in the right direction. Obviously you need to be streetwise, you know particularly if you’re walking around the bigger towns late at night, but generally it is considered a safe place to stay

H: Yes I mean that’s like anywhere these days isn’t it? You just have to be a little bit savvy when you’re out and about

J: Absolutely

H: Let’s take another question then. Let’s go to Trevor. “I’ve heard the scuba is out of this world.” Punchy

J: Oh it is. Fiji doesn’t have many land beasts. Remarkably few. We don’t have any monkeys for example in the forest, for such a lush place

H: Yes

J: But what we do have is an incredible marine diversity. Some years ago Jean-Michel Custeau dubbed it the soft coral capital of the world. It is the best place in the world to see soft corals and fans, and there are many, many diving spots and very accomplished safe diving schools where you can learn to dive

H: I was just going to ask you that. What if you’re a beginner –

J: Absolutely. And what’s so great, particularly on a honeymoon is if you have one partner that already dives and another partner who doesn’t then there’ll be enough to do for that partner if they don’t want to dive, but equally a very safe place to start learning, and it will never disappoint. The fish life is incredible. And it has the third biggest barrier reef in the world

H: Wow

J: Which many people don’t realise as well. And of course the shark dive

H: Do you know what, I mean that would make it a holiday of a lifetime, just doing that one activity. I mean that would be something you would never forget

J: You wouldn’t, and you go down without cages, there are 8 different varieties of shark, particularly this time of the year, this is a good time to go

H: Have you done it?

J: I haven’t, not for the faint-hearted

H: Yes

J: But you know I’ve met so many people who have done it who do rave about it. I will do it on my next trip

H: Yes. Ok, good, good. Right Matt, thank you very much – Matt says “what sort of night time entertainment options are available for say a group of 20-something gentlemen?” Gentlemen, 20-something – yeah right! I’m only joking

J: Wishful thinking. Well certainly many of the resorts will lay on entertainment, probably if there is a larger group it’s better to stay in a larger hotel

H: yes

J: Certainly the cultural element I think is already coming through quite strongly

H: Yes

J: But equally there are a few festivals during the year, like the Hibiscus festival, the Bula festival. Suva and Nandi in particular are the two largest towns and have really good restaurants to go out to, and really there are a lot of team-building exercises that people can do which the resorts can arrange

H: Because there’s paintballing and –

J: There is, Sonaisali island resort is the one place where really good paintballing, they have a very professional set-up there, good equipment and I’m told it’s quite fun, but I think it would be very hot

H: Yes yes yes

J: Given the climate, but it is very well done, yes

H: And also for families, I mean I know we’ve touched on all the activities they can do, but if I was say a mum with two children, quite young children, would you say it’s worth going that long distance which can be tricky enough with kids?

J: Absolutely

H: Once you’re there there’s lots of activities for them to do and –

J: Yes there are, and clearly some resorts cater better than others. There are many resorts that don’t allow children because they’re focused on the more romantic market

H: Yes

J: But there are also many resorts that cater beautifully for children, Stargazing for example is one activity that one resort does. One-on-one nanny services, they’re all available – Fijians love children and it’s engrained in their society, we hear many stories where Fijians sort of looked after children and have remembered them many years later when they’ve revisited

H: Wow

J: Fijians have an incredibly propensity to remember names, and the attention to care is high. And children just love the variety, I think they couldn’t fail to be awed by a warrior walking past in a grass skirt

H: Yes, yes

J: And some of the activities they have to offer, the marine life of course and beaches –

H: Is there also quite a – it sounds like a good place – I mean I don’t want to say go on holiday and learn, but for children it would be quite a learning experience for them as well, I mean certainly –

J: Absolutely, certainly impress their friends back at school. But I would say with families it’s always good to break the journey, and particularly if they’re coming via Australia or New Zealand it’s only a 3 or 4 hour flight, so that’s probably an easier way for them to travel than come all the way out in one hit

H: Yes absolutely. Ok, right let’s take another question – oh well we may as well do this one, this is good – “looks like a good place for my honeymoon, what you reckon?”

J: Not only a great place for a honeymoon but a fantastic place to get married. It is a very romantic set-up and if you have always imagined a South Pacific atoll with beautiful beaches and turquoise water, that’s what you will have. And people can have different kinds of honeymoons, you can cruise for example, there’s some great short cruises that are very relaxing, where you can travel to different islands all for the price of one in a few days, but also to get married there you can have a very simple sunset wedding, or you can go the full, to the full regalia, you know with the warriors carry the bride onto the boat, conshells are blowing, there’s a big party going on, choir music, the south pacific sound. You know it is very captivating

H: IT sounds amazing

J: It’s great on the videos as well

H: I can’t help but smirk though, I was thinking I’m just picturing a warrior trying to pick me up and put me on a boat – aaagghh! What have you been eating? Tommy C, that was Luke Wastall, thank you very much. This question is from Tommy C, and he says “I see there are paintball options. How does the paintball compare to the UK? Surely it would be too hot over there?”

J: It is, yes of course it’s quite hot

H: Yes

J: But just imagine the experience on a beautiful beach, you know it’s great and it really is, is set to be, you know a very exciting activity. You can finish off with a cooling cocktail at the end

H: That just sounds nice, just to reward yourself at the end of it, brilliant. Ok, I’ve been fighting the urge, it is now time to talk about food. My all-time favourite subject. I am a total foodie, so when I go on holiday, certainly if I was going somewhere to distant lands, I want to know what sort of food I’m going to be eating and what sort of experience I’m going to be getting so talk me through it slowly, let’s go

J: Well if I can place you on a beach like Castaway, have the island to yourself for the day and have a really sumptuous picnic, I think that really has to be something that everyone would enjoy. Seafood features very highly but they have the Lovo feast in Fiji, this is a way of cooking food underground, so they make a big pit with charcoal

H: Wow

J: And they wrap all the food having marinated it, and they wrap it in coconut and banana leaves and then they cover it in hot rocks, and that will cook for about three hours. It’s definitely the answer to a wet day BBQ because rain or shine, that food will be delicious and cooked at the end of those three hours. And they will use that feast to mark any important occasion so the Lovo is very important. Cumming Street in Suva for example is a great place, you know it comes alive at night and there are lots of stalls where you can eat and certainly one of the great things about Fiji is the melting pot and the culture with Chinese, Indian influences as well, so you get all that in the culinary experience, but so many of the resorts now have world class chefs, that the food just get more and more enjoyable

H: I bet

J: And they do like their food in Fiji

H: Good, then I like them!

J: You’ll be well at home

H: So again you can do – say I can have my fine dining experience, because when I’m on holiday I quite like to have a lovely meal, but maybe then the next night just some sort of, you know street food if you like. There is the option to do that?

J: There is, although obviously if you’re on a tiny little island in the middle of the sea your options to get back and forward from the bigger islands

H: Yes, yes

J: Are going to be more limited, and you’ll dine in the resort, but most of the resorts will offer different forms of eating each night and many will do BBQs as well

H: How lovely. So, I’ve had my meal, I’m a little bit bloated. I’m thinking I could walk it off – maybe do a bit of shopping. What’s the shopping like there?

J: Well the – there are world class shopping centres, I think everywhere in the world now. We have a marina complex where you have everything from Hard Rock Café to really fantastic, you know new designers coming up in Fiji such as Mana Fiji which are retailed all over the world. Lovely linen clothing. But more typically you will get artefacts like these tools –

H: Yes

J: Which always look good on the dining room wall. The drums, the Kava bowls and this is Kava cloth, this is made from beating the bark of a mulberry tree. This one comes from Vatulele island in the south end of Fiji, they use natural dyes and it’s quite a process but they block print it. And they use this on their clothes, they use it to decorate homes, and they use it for mats, but also made into lots of different artefacts which you can buy in town. Basket making is very popular, and of course there are things like Pure Fiji products, Pure Fiji for example is one of many companies that export really nice quality hand lotions and soaps made from cold-pressed coconut oils and tropical fragrances

H: Oh how lovely

J: And they just feel really nice and they smell gorgeous – lovely in the summer

H: So you’re never stuck for things to take home to loved ones then?

J: Yes I think it’s always, it’s nice, mostly rustic souvenirs that you’re going to take home, but certainly ones that will linger

H: Ok now it is time to say goodbye, but we’re going nowhere until you bang on your drum Mrs, come on

J: If you must....

H: You’re a pro

J: I need more lessons with warriors

H: Ok! With the warriors, only with lovely, hunky warriors, yes. Jane thank you so much, I’m going to say you certainly whet my whistle, I really desperately want to go, so thank you for your time. Could have bought me a sarong but I’ll let that pass for now. The rest of you if you would like to visit Fiji, who wouldn’t after that little chat, to get more information all you’ve got to do is visit the website fijime.com and I’ll see you next time