Introduction
The Fiji Islands is an independent nation consisting of an archipelago of 332 islands surrounding the Koro Sea, some 2,100 kilometres north of Auckland. The islands are inhabited, with a total population of less than 800,000 people. There are just 15 islands in the centre of the Polynesian Triangle, flanked to the west by Tonga and Samoa and to the east by Tahiti and the islands of French Polynesia.
With almost all of the islands surrounded by coral reefs, Fiji is one of the greatest locations of natural coral reef in the world. Lush, tropical rain forests cover 45 percent of the islands and rivers on the mountainous islands cut valleys into the rugged terrain and form deltas with rich alluvial soil.
The islands are a blend of fascinating ancient cultures - the Fijians who belong to the Melanesian group and Indians who arrived in Fiji between 1879 and 1916 to work on British plantations. As such, rituals including the yaqona (kava) and fire walking ceremonies are still enacted as they have been for centuries. With all this to offer, it is no wonder that tourism continues to prosper at record levels and remains a constant in the economy. And, now, after a few uncertain years in the late 1990's, Fiji is booming with tourism levels at an all-time high.
Bayleys has been active in the Fijian and South Pacific market for over ten years. Bayleys’ specialist Fiji team is spearheaded by executive chairman, John Bayley, who has a strong personal afinity with Fiji. He is committed to aligning Bayleys as an intrinsic part of Fiji’s real estate developments and is passionate about the growth and future of this extraordinary country.
