Transcript
The CEO of Tourism Fiji Matt Stoeckel says the win struck a chord with many people.
"This is such a huge opportunity for us and I think the story for us is just beginning. People have really seen the professionalism of the Fijian players and just how humble they were."
The win was reported by media around the world as was the way the Fiji team received their medals - on bended knee from Princess Anne. A strategic communications specialist in Fiji Patricia Mallam says people's curiosity has been piqued by the team's behaviour.
"It is very heartwarming for us that the international audience is taking an added interest. They're looking beyond that whole ... "oh, there's the kava ceremony and the people in the grass skirts". It is really nice to be able to see them taking an additional interest in the other facets of the Fijian culture."
After the win Google announced the word "Fiji" was the number one trending search around the world. And Matt Stoeckel says the victory caused a huge spike in visits to the Tourism Fiji website. He says the agency has already beefed up its social media marketing around the win.
"First people will go on line and they'll have a look and research about the destinations and of course we'll leverage off this opportunity through our social media and we'll have a digital campaign in market soon to try and convert that awareness and intention to visit into getting people here and putting heads on beds."
Damend Gounder runs the Fiji Tourism Action Group which was reactivated after Cyclone Winston hit in February to help boost tourism. He says tourism has been recovering well but this win is a huge boost for Brand Fiji in key markets like Australia.
"In Australia at the moment a television station is running a best Olympic moment of the day and Fiji received 60 percent of the vote. Yeah, a lot of emails, a lot of interest."
Patricia Mallam says operators need to strike while the iron's hot.
"When we are thinking of projecting ourselves into the international arena using the team, the key players who have managed to achieve this for Fiji, it would be wise to use them as well, incorporate them into the messages relating to Fiji. They're ambassadors."
Meanwhile celebrations continued in Fiji over the weekend as people reviewed and analysed the game. A spokesperson for the Methodist Church in Fiji, the Reverend James Bhagwan, says rugby is second only to faith in the country and he says the gold medal was a win not just for the game but for the entire nation, unifying people and boosting morale after tough times.
"We're still in that euphoric mode, we're moving back to business but if you look at social media you're still seeing posts about the rugby, people are hunting youtube to try and find any bit of the game they can watch again. This is just something that people have been able to embrace because it's such a positive thing and that's what we've been clinging to for the last few months, anything that's positive."
The Fiji team arrives back home on Sunday and preparations are underway for their welcome which will be celebrated nationwide by a public holiday on Monday.
