by Xinhua Writer Zhang Yongxing

NADI, Fiji, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Fiji warmly welcomes Chinese tourists to have different experiences in the South Pacific Island nation, which has more than 300 beautiful islands and a population of more than 880,000, a Fijian tourism association chief told Xinhua on Wednesday.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua on the sideline of the 30th Joint Meeting of the United Nations' World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Commission for East Asia and the Pacific and the UNWTO Commission for South Asia held in Nadi, Fiji's third largest city, Dixon Seeto, president of the Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association, said that China has been developing very fast over the past decades, the Chinese people are getting richer and the number of middle class Chinese is increasing.

As more Chinese love to enjoy overseas travels, Seeto hopes that Fiji can be Chinese tourists'favorite destination in the South Pacific region.

"Today, China represents a very promising tourist market for all of us. The outbound from China is increasing. Every country in the world now is trying to woo Chinese visitors as they are heavy consumers."

"As a beautiful island nation with tourism contributing more than 30 percent to the economy's GDP, Fiji is, of course, eager to welcome more Chinese tourists," he said.

According to Seeto, tourism is the most important industry in Fiji and the biggest foreign exchange earner for the country, which has in recent years received more than 800,000 visitors per year, almost equal the entire population of the country.

The government has set a goal of developing the tourism industry to a 2.2 billion Fijian dollar (about 1.1 billion U.S. dollar) industry by 2021.

Currently, Fiji's tourism industry employs about 119,000 Fijians indirectly and directly. 2017 marked the best year ever for Fiji's tourism, with 842,884 visitors coming to the nation, a 6.4 percent rise from 2016. And the visitors spent 1.8 billion Fijian dollars (about 86.4 million U.S. dollars) in terms of foreign exchange earnings.

In Seeto's eyes, the island nation is famous for its pristine and beautiful natural environment -- crystal clear waters, excellent climate with fresh air, beautiful sandy beaches and tropical rain forests. And these are the reasons why Chinese tourists love to visit Fiji as they want to have a different experience.

Currently, China is Fiji's fourth largest tourist market with about 50,000 Chinese tourists visiting Fiji per year.

According to Seeto, most Chinese visitors arrive in Fiji on a short term basis, but the impact of the Chinese visitors could not be underestimated.

"Chinese tourists are in Fiji for five days to a week. They usually stay in good quality hotels and spend a lot of money," he said.

"Fiji and China have enjoyed a very good relationship over the past decades and the Fijian government appreciates the Chinese tourist market, believing that it has a great potential."

He said Fiji has done a lot to attract Chinese tourists, such as the visa exemption to Chinese tourists, many shops and hotels accepting China's Union Pay, hoping that more direct flights will be opened soon.