DEPUTY PM GAVOKA DECLARES 2026 FIJI PRO OPEN AT CLOUDBREAK
MOMI BAY, Monday 24 August 2026 – The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Hon. Viliame Gavoka, officially opened the 2026 Fiji Pro Presented by Corona Cero at the Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay today, as Chief Guest at the event’s opening ceremony.
The event is Stop No. 8 of the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour and runs over the coming fortnight at Cloudbreak. It brings 24 women and 36 men from 16 countries to one of the world’s most demanding waves, in a season that marks the 50th year of the world tour.
“Cloudbreak is one of the great surfing stages anywhere in the world, and it is ours,” Hon. Gavoka said. “This event places our waves, and with them our people, our culture and our place, before every market that matters to us.”
The Minister said Government treats the Fiji Pro as a partnership across tourism, communities, the environment and Fiji’s standing in the world, extended in 2025 through to 2029. For an annual investment of around one million US dollars, last year’s event delivered close to seven million US dollars in brand exposure for Fiji and put about 2.6 million Fijian dollars directly into the local economy. It drew 7.77 million views worldwide and more than 4,000 press placements across over 30 countries, with the strongest audiences in the United States, Australia and Brazil.
He linked the event to Fiji’s wider tourism performance. In July, Fiji welcomed more than 105,000 visitors, its highest of any month on record and the first-time arrivals have passed 100,000 in a single month. The event falls outside the peak holiday season, which helps spread visitor spending across the year, and sits within the National Development Plan, the Fiji National Sustainable Tourism Framework and the new Tourism Act 2026, Fiji’s first modern tourism law in more than fifty years.
Beyond the competition, last year’s event delivered 17 initiatives across indigenous recognition, community benefit and the environment. Through the WSL’s One Ocean initiative, with Conservation International, the Fiji Surfing Association and the Mamanuca Environment Society, the event ran a youth surf clinic and a coastal clean-up at Natadola. The Cloudbreak Surf Tower, built in 2024, remains a lasting asset for the host communities of Momi and Nabila.
Two local wildcards, Teah Kurop and Teo Degei, join the field for the Championship Tour event, alongside the world’s best.
Delivering the welcome address, WSL Asia Pacific President Andrew Stark thanked the Fiji Government, Tourism Fiji and the host communities, and confirmed the Fiji Pro is secured on the Championship Tour schedule through to 2029. Mr Stark said the event had reached more than 16 million viewers and over 100 million social video views over the past two years and had generated more than 6,500 press placements globally.
Turning to the visiting athletes, Hon. Gavoka offered an invitation. “When the heats are done, put the board down for an afternoon, find a village, sit for a bowl of kava, and let Fiji look after you,” he said. “The ocean will still be there in the morning.”
The Minister thanked the World Surf League, Corona Cero, Tourism Fiji, the Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay, the Fiji Surfing Association and its President Ms Hannah Bennett, and the host communities of Momi and Nabila, before declaring the 2026 Fiji Pro Presented by Corona Cero officially open.
– ENDS –