LET’S GO LOCAL
Shangri-La’s Beach, Beats and Eats a hit
The Shangri-La’s Beach Beats and Eats hit the right note as the inaugural event which began on Friday night attracted close to 300 guests over the weekend.
About the event
The weekend’s success, according to the resort’s general manager Francis Lee, will see this event become a monthly attraction.
“This event is to make something happen for Fiji,” Mr Lee said.
“In conjunction with Love our Locals Campaign, we bring together artist with entertainment and food and beverage which is the cuisine.
“It’s showcasing the local Fijian talent to our domestic and international guests who are.
“This is designed for the weekend which has entertainment, food, socialising and we will continue to do this month.
“Hopefully this will become a focal point for Fiji’s social calendar.” Mr Lee acknowledged local partners, the Inside Out band, the VOU dance group, top local singer Sassy and the artisan handicraft sellers.
Weekend cuisine
The weekend has been combined with varieties of cuisine which includes Malaysian dishes, barbeque, with Italian delicacies which includes pasta made by one of the resort’s chefs.
“We are trying to introduce ‘A Day in Paradise” whereby those who do not want to stay the night could come to the resort,” he said
A Day in Paradise
“This is a day trip which will be introduced from next week and which could be run alongside the Beach, Beats and Eats event.
“This is the first time for us, and I’m sure any hotels, so we are carrying on and need to fine tune it as we go along,” Mr Lee said.
He added if the response was good from guests it would continue to happen going into next year.
Love our Locals initiative
Meanwhile Mr Lee said the Love our Locals initiative by Tourism Fiji was “so important to the country, not because of Beach, Beats and Eats and Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort.”
He added the event was to support the local market which would intern filter down to supporting the family.
“This is a very different time now – if we close business we are heading to disaster.
“We are talking about getting things going for now and open up to keep the economy and keep the family afloat meaning staying alive,” Mr Lee said.