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.

well!! so we obviously had a comedian amongst our economics team who made all the arrangements! so, on that visit in 2013 i came to know that the institute is an english language school catering to non - english speaking foreigners, who travel to fiji, spend a little time with us and learn the language. i am told the average length of stay is 10 weeks, with the programmes varying from 2 to 50 weeks. many of these students will use their new skills acquired in fiji to assist them in achieving their education and employment dreams across the globe. the institute was established with the approval of the ministry of education in fiji and its, mainly local, teaching staff are licensed by the ministry. from the day the institute first opened its doors in 2004 up to the end of 2015, more than 15, 000 students from 29 different countries have graduated not only with their newfound english - speaking prowess, but with great experiences and memories of their time in fiji. the key student source market over the years has been japan. in 2016 the total enrollment across the two campuses in namaka and lautoka was a little under 1, 500. i understand there is also a smaller ba provincial free bird institute. attracting young people from overseas to come to a strange land to study is not easy, especially when they do not speak the language! it can also be an extremely competitive business. however, it is clear that mr taniguchi has found the secret recipe in his “ total immersion ” approach for students. i have been reliably advised that the institute has been active in marketing fiji as one of the best places to learn. i visited its website and was greeted by one of the most attractive taglines about fiji which says, “ study english in islands closest to heaven ”. i thank the institute for helping build on our niche education - tourism sector and supporting our most important foreign exchange earning industry. no doubt our minister for tourism will also be well pleased. listing of free bird institute limited with 10 years of experience in fiji now under its collective belt and an evergrowing international reputation as a respected english language educator, the institute has now set its intentions of extending the opportunity to local investors to be part of its plans and aspirations going forward. being the first company to be listed representing the education sector, today ’ s listing of free bird institute limited ’ s shares is an achievement to be celebrated and supported. ladies and gentlemen, the company directors had initially approached the reserve bank and the south pacific stock exchange back