Tipping in Fiji

Tipping in Fiji is optional. It is neither customary now required, unlike in the U.S. where tipping is almost necessary. Fiji is a communal society and tips are shared. In all major Fiji resorts you can see a "Staff Christmas Fund" box and this is how guests can leave a tip for the entire staff. This is a fair way to say "thank you" to the whole staff, not just to the door man or the front desk employees.

Tips in Fiji are shared among all employees, even the ones who don’t directly interact with the guests. Tips are shared in restaurants as well. It is not common to leave a tip on the table, but rather in a shared staff fund should it be available.

Here is a funny story that illustrates it very well how misunderstandings can happen in Fiji if you tip a resort worker: A California woman stayed in a resort in Viti Levu, Fiji’s main island. She couldn’t believe that tipping isn’t required in Fiji, so she left tips in her room for the maid every day. Toward the end of her stay, the maid had become very confused because she didn’t know why money was left for her every day, so she gave the woman a potted plant. The maid figured that the woman was paying for something, so she’d better give her something.