in this regard it is critically important that all developments, in particular, large scale tourism developments, are strictly regulated. in this regard, i wish to once again reiterate the need for eco - friendly tourism development which uses more renewable energy technology and building designs to minimise the importation of fossil fuel. the government ministries in charge of planning, environment and energy need to work very closely with the various stakeholders to ensure that we have policies to give effect to these strategies. we do have some policies already in place but one needs to ask how effective these are. if properly implemented, these strategies will add more value to our tourism and differentiate our tourism product from many other destinations. one of the key challenges for the government is to keep the infrastructure developed and maintained. substandard infrastructure will have serious implications for the growth of tourism in fiji. therefore, long term planning is absolutely necessary to develop adequate infrastructure in terms of electricity, water supply, roads, bridges, airports, hospitals, telecommunications, etc. fiji ’ s infrastructure has been left neglected for a number of years but it is good to see more activity in some of these areas recently. in summary, ladies and gentlemen, the tourism industry is a major contributor to the growth and development of our country. its importance, as i highlighted earlier, underscores the need for all stakeholders, not only the government, but the private sector and the community in general, to work together and make every effort to raise our tourism industry to a level where it can compete more effectively with the rest of the world. against the adverse impact of recent global and domestic developments, tourism contributed significantly to turn the economy around from this year. i am confident that with the efforts of everyone, the tourism industry will continue to grow strongly and achieve its growth target of 1. 1 million visitors and $ 1. 2 billion earnings by 2016, if not sooner. thank you very much.

on how to specialise in the use of local foods in the preparation of local hotel menus, in particular high value menus. upon the chef ’ s return the rbf will work with tpaf and the fiji hotel and tourism association to provide training to other local chefs on the use of local inputs. it is also the intention of the rbf to make an annual prime minister ’ s award to a chef who creates the most innovative local input menu or dish. you might well ask as to why the rbf is taking such interest in the tourism industry. as i said before given the size of the industry in the domestic economy the country will benefit greatly if we are able to increase the local value added. it will significantly add to our balance of payment and also increase incomes to our farmers and assist in more employment creation. the bank has also made funds available for exports and import substitution through its recently revamped import substitution and export finance facility ( iseff ). this facility can be accessed through the commercial banks and the fiji development bank. the rbf also relaxed its policy on foreigners to borrow in the domestic market for purchase or construction of residential properties. this is to encourage the building and construction industry and also for the development of integrated resorts with residential accommodation. i also wish to mention here a related new policy of fiji my second home scheme which was introduced last year. the scheme provides an opportunity for citizens of other countries to make fiji their second home. the financial criteria under the scheme is the compulsory opening of a fixed deposit account of $ 100, 000 for participants over 50 years, and a fixed deposit account of $ 150, 000 for participants below 50 years. interest income from these deposits is exempt from tax. from the 3rd year onwards, a minimum of $ 50, 000 must be maintained in the account, participants of this scheme can use the funds expenses relating to house purchase, education and medical purposes. more details can be obtained from the rbf website. through these various initiatives, the bank hopes to encourage more activity in the tourism sector and help lift economic growth. ladies and gentlemen, one of the key strengths of fiji ’ s attraction as a tourism destination is the pristine environment that we enjoy but take for granted most of the time. many countries which currently enjoy very high growth rates and high living standards unfortunately suffer seriously from environmental degradation and overcrowding. therefore, fiji needs to have a policy on sustainable tourism development which preserves and secures our environment for future generations.