Download Tifajek Mudpools and Hot Springs

Partner:
Tifajek Mud Pool and Hot Springs
Title:
Expanding and upgrading the physical and management capacity of a
community-based mud-pool service catering for more tourists and
diversifying tourist’s Fiji experience.
Intervention Number:
FJ/TO/I18
Start Date:
March 2015
Intervention Managers:
Troy Simpson and Florence Nand
Intervention Area:
Tourism and Related Support Services and Industries: This
intervention relates to improving access to more diversified shopping,
entertainment and activities for tourists.
Background Information
Fiji is a small open economy and the tourism and agriculture
sectors are the two key sectors of the Fijian economy. The
tourism sector consists of all industries which are involved in
catering to, and creating an experience for, incoming tourists.
This includes accommodation, transportation, entertainment,
activities, retail and food and beverage services. Other support
industries which produce items and supply the tourism sector
considering the heavy reliant on imported produce by resorts
and hotels also plays a key role in the sector. The tourism sector
contributes around 13% to GDP and the contribution has been
growing over the years. The growing tourism sector in Fiji
provides a great opportunity for local businesses to provide
goods and services. Tifajek Mud Pool and Hot Springs being a
small family owned business provides services in natural
therapeutic treatments through mud baths and dips in natural
hot pools for tourists that visit the facility. A few naturally
occurring thermal pools exist in other locations in Fiji but none
has been developed like Tifajek to cater for the tourist market.
The main market for Tifajek is the cruise ship tourists.
Considering Tifajek’s strong networks with tour operators
together with the increasing visitor arrivals and cruise ships to
Fiji, the number of tourists visiting the pools have been steadily
increasing and to cater for the increasing number of tourists
and Tifajek’s expansion plans, MDF is assisting Tifajek in
upgrading its existing facility and management capacity and
also capitalize on the existing resources and provide additional
services to tourists such as mud scrubs and retail various
handicrafts. As such, this partnership addresses the need for a
greater variety of activities and experiences available for
tourists. With Tifajeks unique product, the mud and thermal
pools, tourists will experience more Fijian style natural
activities. By diversifying and building additional services
around the pools, this would translate into greater revenue for
Tifajek as well as improving the livelihood of the surrounding
community particularly, women. It is expected that the income
of these village people will increase and will be sustained given
the authenticity of these activities as well as the networks with
well-established in-bound tour operators. At the same time,
the tourism sector becomes more diversified due to the
additional activities and services provided.
Partnership Summary
Goal: Additional jobs
and income created
Purpose: The poor
benefit from improved
enterprise performance
and sector
competitiveness
Outcome: Markets
around the poor work
better
Output: Partner
implements activities,
increases capacity
Activities under
Partnership Agreement
 Additional income for handicraft sellers and community people from sales of
handicraft items and providing massage and full rejuvenation therapy
 More employment created by Tifajek
 More tourists buy more handicraft items from Tifajek and handicraft sellers;
 Tifajek increases total sales from more tourists visits
 Tifajek and handicraft sellers sell their product using upgrade facilities and new
makeshift carts
 More tourists visit Tifajek
 Tifajek engages more trained community people to provide Full Rejuvenation
Therapy




Tifajek facility upgraded and makeshift carts rented out to handicraft sellers
Tifajek improved facility to cater for large number of tourists
Tifajek has improved capacity to manage business operations
Community people knowledgeable and able to provide Full Rejuvenation
Therapy
 MDF is assisting Tifajek in engaging a landscape architect and engaging
Contractor(s) for excavation and finishing work on the hot and mud pools.
MDF is supporting Tifajek in hiring an Accounts Clerk
 MDF is assisting Tifjek in training the community men and women to provide
a Full Rejuvenation Therapy
 MDF is supporting Tifajek procure makeshift carts that will be rented out to
handicraft sellers.
Outreach and
Employment:
Estimated outreach of 38
handicraft sellers and full
rejuvenation therapists
and expected full-time
employment of 9 workers.
Innovation:
Tifajek offers a diversified
Fijian experience via
natural mud pool, hot
springs, professional
masseurs, handicraft
sellers and food sellers at
one place, creating a ‘onestop shop’ for tourists