With the aim to increase sports tourism to Fiji,
Tourism Fiji, together with
Air Pacific, Fiji’s International airline,
Strategy Generation, and some of Fiji’s leading hotels and ground transportation companies, have recently teamed up to present
The Fiji Tennis Invitation Classic, a pilot event for Fiji, which was held earlier this year.
The Tourism Board and other sponsors hosted six internationally-ranked tennis players from China, India, New Zealand, Philippines, Slovakia and the US to take part in a five-day tournament that was held at
Denarau Golf & Racquet Club on Denarau Island. Co-sponsors of the event also included
Avis, Radisson Hotels & Resorts, Rosie Holidays and
Starwood Resorts & Hotels. Tournament participants included
Qiang Wang of China,
Shika Uberoi of India,
Brittany Teei of New Zealand,
Cristina Visico of the Philippines,
Dominika Dieskova of Slovakia and
Neha Uberoi of the USA. Wang beat Visico to clinch the tournament prize money of $2,000 and a watch from renowned jeweler Chris Aire, and Visjco was presented with a $1,000 cash prize and a unique pearl gift from Fiji’s own J Hunter Pearls.
According to chief executive officer of Tourism Fiji,
Jo Tuamoto, “This first time ever event for Fiji was conceived to encourage our local youth here in Fiji, particularly women, to engage in the sport of tennis.” Present for the event were Hollywood celebrities/TV actors, including
Nia Long of
“Big Momma’s House,”
Chris Taylor of
“Everybody Hates Chris,”
Tatyana Ali who appeared in the series
“The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and actress
Kimberly Elise. During their visit to the country, the celebrities visited Nadi Airport School and Nadi Muslim where students were given the opportunity to rub shoulders with the celebrities. The Hollywood guests also embarked on a Sigatoka River Safari day trip.
For more information regarding the travel to the Fiji Islands, contact Tourism Fiji located at 5777 West Century Boulevard, Suite 220 in Los Angeles, California. The tourism board can also be contacted directly by calling (310) 568-1616, via fax at (310) 670-2318, or by via email at infodesk@bulafiji-americas.com. Visitor information is available at www.fijime.com, the official website for Tourism Fiji.