Josefa Tuamoto to Leave Tourism Fiji

Current Tourism Fiji CEO, Josefa Tuamoto, will be leaving the post he has held for three years at the end of November 2011.

An international executive search firm has now been appointed to assist the Tourism Fiji Board in finding a new CEO from inside, or outside, Fiji.

Tourism Fiji Board Chairman, Dave Pflieger praised Mr Tuamoto’s dual stewardship as both CEO and Director of International Marketing and the inspired performance he has given in helping to shape and take the destination’s tourism industry into the strong position it enjoys today on the world stage.

“There can be no doubt Jo’s calm leadership and expertise has played a critical role in helping steer Fiji’s tourism industry through some very rocky times, all of which had the potential to seriously affect the destination’s international visitation at the time,” Mr Pflieger said. “No one will forget the lead position he took during the devastating January 2009 floods in helping rebuild confidence in the destination in our key overseas markets ... The same thing can be said for his leadership of the industry during Cyclone Thomas, the GFC and the international swine flu outbreak to name just a few of the crises Fiji has faced in the time Jo has sat at the helm.

“I would personally like to acknowledge the role Jo has played in personally maintaining a very positive profile for Fiji and the respect of the international travel community in all the areas of the world the national tourist office is active in. This has undoubtedly played a key factor in this country achieving record breaking international visitation on a year on year basis and seen the local tourism industry becoming a multi-billion dollar tourism industry to the benefit of all Fijian people. The entire Board joins me in wishing Jo well in his future endeavours and thanking him for his many contributions to Tourism Fiji.”

Mr Tuamoto has indicated that while he would be delighted to assist the board wherever possible in the interim period before a new CEO has been appointed, he was unfortunately unable to commit to any full time support citing personal and professional commitments that he said will be dominating his time from 1 December 2011.

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