SUVA, Fiji (21 Dec 2001) -- CDNN has removed Fiji from its Cyber Diver Alert travel warnings some 17 months after a coup toppled the island nation's democratically elected government. "Since the elections last August, Fiji has made considerable progress towards returning to democracy and a multi-racial constitution," said CDNN Managing Editor, Freeman Washington. "We want to send a signal to the global diving community that Fiji is back on track and ready to deliver on its promises to provide visitors with safe, relaxing holidays, not in resorts surrounded by armed guards, but in a democratic country that is peaceful and stable." The coup in May 2000 crippled Fiji's tourism industry and was disastrous for its economy. According to the Fiji Visitors Bureau, the number of tourists visiting Fiji slumped 41 percent in the year after the racially inspired coup. | | Racist rebel George Speight on trial for treason "We trust that Fiji's new democratically elected government understands that continued progress towards a multi-ethnic and multi-racial society is a prerequisite to the recovery of its tourism industry," said CDNN Editor-in-Chief, Stanford Suzuki. "It should now be clear to everyone involved that 'paradise' is an extremely tough sell in a country that is bent on disenfranchising nearly half of its population." © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK |
