12 Apr 2012

Fiji hotelier blames cancellations on flood reporting

6:59 am on 12 April 2012

A Fiji resort owner is blaming overseas media for her loss of Easter business.

Flooding in parts of the main island over the past couple of weeks killed at least six people, forced thousands into evacuation centres and caused millions of dollars' worth of damage.

Rachel Hachache Mishra, who owns Golden Point Resort in northern Viti Levu, says reports from Australian and New Zealand media made it sound as if the whole of Fiji was underwater.

But she says small resorts such as her Rakiraki property weren't affected.

"The Rakiraki town was flooded , not where I am, I'm before town. I'm right on the sea. I was fully booked for the long weekend for the Easter period and all the bookings got cancelled, that's exactly the fact."

Rachel Hachache Mishra says Fiji relies on tourism and the media need to be careful when reporting on natural disasters that they don't damage the industry.