𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 – 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞

𝟏𝟖 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒. Greetings from Suva. Firstly, I express my gratitude to the members of the Press Corp, local and international, present here today, who have been closely following the recent incident that occurred at a prominent resort at Coral Coast over the weekend. The Coalition Government recognizes the critical work mainstream media plays in our democracy. We thank you for being here this evening.

𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬

Over the last 72 hours, the Ministry of Tourism & Civil Aviation has been working closely with relevant authorities to ascertain what had transpired over the weekend that led to seven individuals, 6 were tourists and 1 local, being rushed to Sigatoka and Lautoka Hospital after being presented with symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and neurological issues.

This evening, I am here with the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health, Dr. Jemesa Tudravu, to share some very positive updates regarding the recent incident involving tourists and a local who fell ill during their visit to Fiji.

𝐓𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬

First and foremost, we are pleased to report the findings of the toxicology report and also after testing the ingredients of the drinks served to guests by the Fiji Police Force, 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙤 𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙗𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙡 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙦𝙪𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙨.

𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 – 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝

We are also pleased to inform you that all of the affected tourists and a local have now been discharged from medical care, fully recovered, and have returned home.

This is a significant relief, and we are grateful for the swift medical attention and care provided to the visitors during this incident.

𝙉𝙤 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚.

𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

The findings that there is no evidence of alcohol poisoning is great news for Fiji, especially for our vital tourism industry. The findings bring much-needed reassurance to the global community that Fiji is a safe and reliable destination for travellers.

As we have emphasized throughout this situation, Fiji upholds the highest standards when it comes to food, beverages, and overall safety. The health and wellbeing of our visitors remain our top priority.

𝐅𝐢𝐣𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬

The care, kindness, and hospitality shown by Fijians to visitors are core to our tourism brand.

With the holiday season fast approaching, we look forward to welcoming tourists to Fiji this Christmas, New Year’s and into 2025.

We are excited to continue to showcase the beauty of our vibrant culture and the warmth of our people.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬

Ladies and gentlemen, this positive news will not end here. Investigations will continue by the Fiji Police Force.

The Ministry of Tourism & Civil Aviation considers the recent incident as a learning experience. With my office, we will collaborate further with our marketing arm, Tourism Fiji, the Fiji Hotels & Tourism Association, and the Fiji Police Force to ensure that Fiji remains a safe destination for tourists.

Vinaka vakalevu.

END