Fiji is the perfect place for anyone who’s ever traveled and wanted to make a difference in a meaningful and direct way. The island nation just unveiled a country-wide sustainability initiative—Loloma Hour—to encourage all visitors to donate one hour of their trip to engage in projects ranging from reef preservation to sustaining local communities, all from the comfort of their vacation.
Fiji is a country of over 330 small islands. It is not very accessible. The tourism industry in the Pacific Island country continues to grow despite its relative remoteness. In 2024 the country welcomed its first one million tourists, an increase of nearly 6 percent from the previous year. With a recently launched direct route from DallasTravelers from the United States can now reach this destination more easily than ever.
With the positives of travel—the connections, the new horizons, and the lasting memories—also come the realties. Fiji’s carbon footprint is increasing due to tourism. However, there are other environmental issues that persist, such as microplastics and the degradation of Cakaulevu, the world’s third largest barrier reef.
Fiji’s Loloma is a way to bring together tourism and sustainability. It uses the enthusiasm and positivity that visitors feel, as they wish to experience more than a simple beach vacation.
Oliver Bolch/Courtesy Tourism Fiji
Loloma Hour aims to be the happy hour for your soul. Srishti Nairayan: “We saw a significant shift in traveler behaviour after the pandemic.”, Tourism’s chief marketing officer Fiji, told Travel + Leisure. “People started seeking out more responsible, purposeful experiences that have a positive effect.”
Feedback from travelers and conversations within local communities were key influences on the initiative. While visitors to Fiji who were touched by their trips have donated unofficially to the community, there is no official, unified method to harness the spirit to want to give back via tourism.
More than 20 partners have joined forces to launch the new website, including boutique hotels, diving lodges, resorts and independent tour operators. The initiative will offer guests tangible, accessible and adventurous ways to give back. Activities will fall under four key pillars of contribution: Giving Back to Wildlife, Giving Back to the Community, Giving Back to the Coastline, and Giving Back to the Reef.
Loloma Hour activities are customized to the location of guests, and they can choose from activities such as coral gardening with resident marine biologists in Kokomo Private IslandGuided tours of the salt and oil production processes at Viani Bay Resort. mangrove planting in Shangri-La Yanuca Island, FijiFijian Crested Iguana conservation and counting Six Senses FijiShark diving is a popular sport. Barefoot Kuata Island Resort. Beach Cleanups InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & SpaClam farming is a popular activity in the area. Viani Bay Resort.
Fiji’s Loloma Hour aims to combine tourism and sustainability, leveraging the increased popularity of the country into a force for the good and using the excitement and positivity that visitors feel.
Fiji’s bet is that the power of the collective time of the visitors, multiplied with the hour, will outweigh the one-hour commitment. Narayan stated that “this isn’t about the hour.” It’s the mentality it promotes.
Tourism Fiji aims to include more partners in the program and, within the first year of the program, Tourism Fiji aspires to spend at least 5,000 hrs on sustainability initiatives. Whatever the activity, Tourism Fiji hopes that visitors will develop a bond with the country long after their visit has ended.
Loloma, on a countrywide scale, represents Fiji’s commitment to invest in the environment in a manner that works in harmony, not contrast, with its growing tourism sector. It can also inspire tourists to take an active role in environmental sustainability on a global scale.
Narayan stated that “our vision is to spread this spirit of giving and respect for culture across the Pacific.” “If we inspire similar programs in island nations around the world, together we can protect what attracted travelers to our country in the first instance: our culture, people and natural environment.”
It’s worth the trip to see this.
