4 Jan 2007

Fiji tourism says Australia high risk travel grade is unfair

11:25 am on 4 January 2007

The president of Fiji's Hotel and Tourism Association Dixon Seeto says Australia's high risk travel grading is unfair.

Since the military coup, Australia has graded Fiji at level 4, with level 5 being the highest, due to the "increasingly volatile political security situation".

Mr Seeto says Thailand is also graded at Level 4 due to recent bombings.

He says countries like New Zealand and Japan have downgraded their travel advisory to Fiji already, and other countries should do the same.

"You know we could say, OK the rest of Fiji is at level 3 and perhaps leave Suva at level 4 until the situation sorts itself out, and this would be far preferable than some countries unilaterally imposing one grading for the whole country."

Dixon Seeto says locals have been occupying many hotels over the holidays.