It's been 25 years since the release of the blockbuster Tom Hanks film 'Cast Away', shot on Fiji's Monuriki Island. According to Tourism Fiji, the film continues to draw tourists and international film and TV productions to the country, supporting thousands of local jobs.

Monuriki

Twenty-five years after the release of 'Cast Away', Fiji's Monuriki Island remains a significant draw for tourists and international film productions. The film, starring Tom Hanks, was shot on the island and has contributed to the rise of 'set jetting' tourism, where visitors travel to locations featured in their favourite movies and TV shows.

Tourism Fiji reports that the ongoing interest in 'Cast Away' has helped boost the local film and TV industry, attracting productions such as 'Love Island', 'Amazon's Eco Challenge', and 'Survivor'. This influx has supported thousands of local jobs and provided economic benefits to the region, with industry leaders crediting the film for putting Fiji on the map as a filming destination.

'Cast Away' drawing tourists to Fiji 25 years since release

Before Wilson was lost at sea in the movie Castaway, Tom Hanks and his volleyball companion found themselves washed up on a deserted island purportedly some 600 miles south of the Cook Islands. In reality though the setting for the blockbuster year 2000 flick was Fiji's Monoriki Island situated in the Mamanutha Islands about an hour's boat ride from Nandi with 150 international cast and crew descending on this place to shoot the movie. In the film Tom Hanks's character spent over four years here trying desperately to get off the island and now 25 years later people from all around the world are trying to get back on and while they're here many of them take a tour to listen to some of the backstories about the making of the film. We are from Brazil we love it that the movie that's the reason we're here. In recent years the film's enduring popularity has helped put Fiji firmly on the tourist trail for so-called set jetters holiday makers who plan trips around seeing the sites where their favourite movies and TV shows were made. Seeing a lot of Australians a lot of North Americans, Kiwis, Chinese. Brent Hill is CEO of Tourism Fiji he says streaming services and social media have played a big role in the global rise of set jetting tourism. With things like White Lotus you know just how many people have travelled to you know go on location and sort of see those places ultimately you're always looking for the next vehicle to be able to showcase in our case Fiji to the world. The main aspect of what Fiji offers to to international productions is its locations. Now 25 years since Cast Away was made here the country's local film and TV industry is booming. With a whole raft of productions basing themselves in Fiji including Love Island, Amazon's Eco Challenge and Survivor which is now in its 20th season shooting here. We look forward to more reality TV shows coming to Fiji they have been tremendous to Fiji's economy to the people the local crew and the local landowners. Who will have what it takes to outwit, outplay and outlast all the rest. While these days it's shows like Survivor which help keep more than a thousand Fijians in the industry busy at work each year. Johnny Robertson from Film Fiji says the country still has a lot to thank the cast and crew of Cast Away for. Without Cast Away I don't think many people would have thought Fiji would be a filming destination and it was a feature film with an amazing cast and and Tom Hanks being being the mean one was incredible. You scared? The ball in Tom Hanks and how great that was that he carried that movie. Wilson! I think he's here I think Wilson's actually here. The kids have been playing with him in the pool actually. We have a lot of people want to go out to Monoriki and and of course they go there because of Cast Away but they enjoy it because it's such a good island. Wilson!

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