Teaser advertising isn't just limited to Fiji. The story is often the same for the other Pacific islands and elsewhere. We saw holidays to Samoa, Vanuatu, and Rarotonga being offered at 3, 4 and 5 nights.
Travel agents tend to be more honest about Australian holidays, mostly advertising 7-night holiday packages.
The Travel Agents Association's code of ethics says that advertising should not make "false, misleading, deceptive or dishonest statements". But many travel agents' advertising certainly isn't giving a realistic picture of the cost of holidays that their staff are selling.
A down-under problem?
Australian travel agents also offer short (3-5 day) packages to Fiji.
But we also looked at practices in the UK. On its home page, mega travel agent Thomas Cook offers packages to Spain - just 2 hours away by plane. All its deals when we checked were for a minimum of 7 nights.
What the travel agents say
We put our concerns to the travel agents mentioned in this article as well as the Travel Agents Association of New Zealand. One agent told us that it offered "packages tailored to suit individual needs" and that not all its offers were for short periods. We were also told that shorter holidays were "a popular option with couples and families who can't afford a week-long stay".
These comments didn't match what the agents we contacted were telling our "family".
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