Fiji Tourist Traps

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Carving - Yes i have fallen for this.

by IcemanNZL

One thing to be aware of in Fiji. While your wandering down the street looking for bargins, beware of the odd Fijian who stops and asks your name, before you know it he has pulled out a set of wooden carved knives or boats and etched your name in it and insists you buy them. This will usually only cost you $5-10 Fijian dollars. If you have this happen to you, i suppose there isnt much to do apart from pay the man and smile as you walk off with your newly acquired knives or boats as the case may be.I suppose you can say you have a piece of Fiji and a good story to tell your mates when you get home.

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LIke most cities the hustler...

by renres828

LIke most cities the hustler exist here.it is usually the Indian people who are more$$$$ focused..the average Fijian would never dream of approaching you..Crafts in the shops are not impressive...but expensive...You can buy the shirts ,sarongs, etc in the native stores for far less at least half of the gift shop prices..Use Fiji $$..In Singatogakapressure selling is more aggressive...avoid the craft dealers there...the will hound youto buy.....

Not necessarily a tourist trap...

by Kis_Jutka

Not necessarily a tourist trap per se, but the shopping at the Shangri-La was preferrable to going into town. The prices at the closes town were expensive and they basically had the same items that the resort had. The resort had all types of shops: convenience store, clothing, camera shop, and many souvenier places. The people are very friendly and eager to help. If you go to Nad's say hi to Rakesh from Judy who visited last year fro Canada (I was the one that bought the beautiful wooden sculpture as a wedding gift to my husband)!

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Sword Sellers. Especially in...

by Jez79

Sword Sellers. Especially in towns, tourists are often approached by people who will ask a few general questions and then offer to give you a sword with your name on it as a gift. They will then ask for money. You are under no obligation to buy the sword and you can pick them up at handicraft stores for much better prices. The picture is of Sigatoka, where we were approached by a sword seller. On a side note, the bridge in the picture was used for vehicles until 1997. Hmmm.

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Overpriced tour buses from...

by Jez79

Overpriced tour buses from resorts and hotels. Many resorts have buses that take people into town for a much higher price that you pay catching the local bus. If you pick the right local transport (eg and express bus) it's usually cheaper and more fun because you get to travel with the locals. Ask around before deciding how to get somewhere.This picture has no relevance, I just wanted to put it up!

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Nice Fijian poeple in the CITY...

by James_Cooke

Nice Fijian poeple in the CITY are selling friendship. Talking with you nicely but at last everything goes aroud the money. It's very hard to say 'get away !!!' (or worse) but I think it's the only way not to wast to much money. But I repate IN THE CITY not on the islands.

If you are in the streets of...

by 137

If you are in the streets of Suva and are approached by friendly men and they ask your name walk away. If you don't they will carve your name into a cheap craft and then demand a high price. Me and another student got caught in this trap during our first week. I was thinking 'How nice this country is, these men want to know about us!' They just wanted our money. PS. Other than the streets of Suva people are very curious about foreigners so it's ok to answer questions about yourself.

Film and especially underwater...

by mark88

Film and especially underwater disposable cameras were expensive on the islands. Best to stock up on a couple if you want to take underwater photos before you come to the islands. Also alcohol is expensive so a bottle of duty free in your backback wont go amiss.

Steer clear of sword sellers:...

by GeneralTso

Steer clear of sword sellers: do not tell them your name or they carve it on a sword and pressure you to buy it. ALWAYS haggle over prices: only rich, dumb tourists pay the marked prices. Yaqona cannot be legally brought back to the USA.

Suva was definitly a 'tourist...

by megraham

Suva was definitly a 'tourist trap'. I felt it was a function of there not being enough work in a society and people were hustling to make a living. An example would be two or three young men would approach, act friendly, give some local craft to your children, and then pressure you for money. The trick here was to crave something into the item before you could react, and the price then requested was 5 to 10 times that of the craft stalls. In retrospect, I would say this is one of the more low key hustles, just be advised if you are traveling with children.

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