7 foreign tourists hospitalized in Fiji were not poisoned by alcohol or illicit drugs, officials say

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Seven foreign tourists who were hospitalized in Fiji after drinking cocktails at a resort bar were not poisoned by alcohol or illicit drugs, officials said Wednesday following a toxicology report.

The cause of the tourists’ illness over the weekend remains under investigation, Fiji’s Tourism Minister Viliame R. Gavoka said.

“I can confirm that no illicit substances or methanol were found in the ingredients or liquor samples,” Gavoka told reporters in the capital, Suva.

“The findings that there is no evidence of alcohol poisoning is great news for Fiji, especially for our vital tourism industry,” he added.

All seven tourists have since fully recovered, he said.

They became ill at the five-star Warwick resort near the town of Sigatoka on Saturday.

The tourists, including Australians and an American, were hospitalized with nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms, Fiji’s Health Ministry said.

News outlets had reported the cause of the foreigners’ illness was suspected alcohol poisoning, similar to a case in Laos last month in which six tourists — including two Australian teenagers — died after consuming drinks tainted with methanol.

The suspicion of methanol poisoning was a blow to Fiji’s tourism industry, which has a reputation for providing safe food and drinks.

Alcohol poisoning is a common danger in many poorly regulated tourist destinations, where reputable brands of spirits are substituted with locally distilled ethanol. Methanol can be an unintended byproduct of unprofessional distillation.

Fiji Permanent Secretary for Health Jemesa Tudravu said the illnesses could have been caused by a chemical reaction or infection. His department was continuing to investigate.

Gavoka urged foreign governments to remove from their travel advisories warnings a risk of drink spiking in Fiji that emerged this week.

He said the tourist industry had been rocked by media reports of suspected contaminated drinks, but tourists had not canceled their vacations.

“There is no indication of people canceling. What we hear is people who are in a sense of disbelief that Fiji could be spiking drinks or Fiji could be adding some harmful stuff into the cocktails,” Gavoka said.

Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said the incident had been confined to a single resort.

“We’d like to tell everybody that it’s safe to come to Fiji and we have to also find out who has been giving out the negative press about Fiji as a destination. Are they competitors for our tourist visitors?” Rabuka said to reporters.