ADVERTISEMENTForget your average happy hour. Fiji wants travellers to trade sundowners for something more meaningful.
The Pacific Island nation’s ‘Loloma Hour’ invites visitors to spend at least one hour of their trip giving back to the environment or local communities.
Whether it’s replanting mangroves, taking part in a beach clean-up or learning to make traditional crafts alongside Fijian villagers, the goal is simple: leave the islands better than you found them.
“True happiness comes not just from what you take, but what you give,” says Srishti Narayan, chief marketing officer at Tourism Fiji.
What is Loloma Hour?
‘Loloma’ is a Fijian word meaning generosity driven by love, and the new programme reflects that spirit.
Rolled out across dozens of eco-minded hotels, resorts and tour operators, Loloma Hour is part of Fiji’s wider strategy to preserve its cultural heritage and natural ecosystems while creating meaningful exchanges between travellers and locals.
The initiative supports activities that align with four key pillars: wildlife conservation, community support, reef protection and coastline care. Guests might join a coral planting session, participate in iguana conservation walks, take part in reef-safe snorkelling or attend a village storytelling event.
The aim is for tourists to contribute at least 5,000 volunteer hours across the country this year.
Tourism with purpose is on the rise
Fiji’s bet on mindful travel taps into a growing trend.
According to a 2023 Booking.com survey, 76 per cent of global travellers say they want to travel more sustainably.
In Europe, the demand is especially high, and operators are answering the call. Five of the 10 most sustainable destinations in 2024 were in Europe, according toLonely Planet, and destinations like the Faroe Islands and Normandyhave been praised for pioneering community-based and regenerative tourism programmes.
From Thailand toGreenland, tourism boards and private operators alike have started rethinking everything frominteractions with wildlife todiving excursions to make them more purposeful.
Among them, Fiji’s Loloma Hour stands out for its cultural framing – rooted in love rather than obligation.
But it also has a deeper meaning. The Pacific Islands are on the frontlines of the climate crisis, pressed with rising sea levels, coral bleaching and extreme weather events. With tourism making up about 40 per cent of Fiji’s GDP, turning tourism into a tool for change isn’t just good policy. It might also be essential for the country’s future.
Where guests can get involved
From five-star hideaways to barefoot eco-resorts, 21 properties across Fiji are currently taking part in Loloma Hour – each offering different activities.
ADVERTISEMENTAt Six Senses Fiji, guests can swim through coral nurseries with experts, plant native trees or tour the resort’s organic gardens. The Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort offers marine education sessions led by in-house biologists.
On islands like Malolo and Wakaya, guests can document vulnerable manta ray populations while diving or join mangrove replanting sessions and beach clean-ups.
“Loloma Hour gives visitors a chance to help preserve what makes Fiji so special – its people, environment and traditions,” says Narayan.