- The Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) has criticised the Fijian Government's new Tourism Services Tax, arguing it demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of how the travel booking ecosystem operates.
- The tax is being applied retrospectively, meaning travellers who have already paid in full — including families with school holiday bookings and large group or corporate travellers — are being asked to pay additional costs for trips they considered settled.
- Travel agents and tour operators are being left to administer and explain a tax they had no part in creating, while key practical questions about collection, net rates, existing contracts, and the distinction between suppliers and agents remain unresolved.
- The Fijian Government conducted no consultation with the Australian or New Zealand travel industries prior to announcing the tax, despite Australia and New Zealand being Fiji's two largest tourism markets.
- Industry was given just over two weeks between the tax's announcement and its start date — far too little time to update contracts, pricing systems, or properly inform travellers — and ATIA is currently in talks with the Fijian Government over the matter.
20 August 2026: The Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) says the Fijian Government has got its new Tourism Services Tax wrong.
ATIA is meeting with the Fijian Government and will update members and media as the situation develops.
Quotes attributed to ATIA CEO Dean Long
"The design and roll out reflect a complete lack of understanding of how the travel booking ecosystem works, and it is travellers and travel businesses who will pay the price for that failure."
"Retrospective application is an absolute no-go. Once a customer has paid, that price is locked in. Sending a fresh bill after the fact is not tax collection, it is a broken promise dressed up as policy."
"Travellers are the ones left exposed. Families with September school holiday bookings already paid in full, and travellers on large group, corporate and film production bookings, are being asked to find extra money for a holiday they thought was settled months ago. That is not how you treat people who chose Fiji in good faith."
"Travel agents and tour operators are stuck in the middle. They are being asked to explain and administer a cost they did not create, could not have anticipated and have no control over, while basic practicalities such as who collects the tax, how it applies to net rates and existing contracts, and where a “supplier” ends and an “agent” begins, remain unclear even for new bookings."
"None of this needed to happen. The tax arrived with zero consultation with the travel industry in Australia or New Zealand despite the significant importance of these markets to Fiji. Australia is Fiji’s largest tourism market, and New Zealand its second-largest. Even setting aside the retrospective billing, the industry was given just over two weeks between the announcement and the tax’s start date, nowhere near enough time to update contracts, pricing systems or advise travellers."
About us:
ABOUT ATIA
The Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) is the peak body representing Australia’s $70.6 billion travel industry. ATIA represents the majority of Australian travel agents, corporate agents, tour operators, wholesalers, and ITOs.
In the 2025/2026 financial year, ATIA members transacted $26.9 billion in Total Transaction Value (TTV) of retail bookings, $6.5 billion of corporate bookings, and $7.5 billion of land operations. Typically, the vast majority of all international air sales and over 90% of corporate sales in Australia are through our members, rather than directly through airlines. Furthermore, out of the 1.45 million Australians who took an ocean cruise this year, the significant majority used a travel advisor to book. An impressive 92% of ATIA members are small businesses, with women making up 72% of the sector's dynamic workforce.
ATIA administers the ATIA Accredited programme, which remains the largest and most representative accreditation scheme for travel businesses across Australia. 22% of businesses that submitted applications to become ATIA accredited were rejected as they did not meet the eligibility criteria. ATIA proudly represents 19,167 agency employees and 13,799 land supply employees nationwide, directly supporting 21.96 million Australian travellers every single year. There are 1100 ATIA-accredited members across 1700 locations. To find or verify an ATIA accredited business, visit traveltick.com.au.
Contact details:
MEDIA CONTACT: THURSDAY: LJ Loch, ATIA DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA 0488 038 555 or [email protected]
FRIDAY - WEDS: Sid Maher, Alpha Consult, [email protected] or 0401 704 384
