Nanuya Island Resort Owners Invest in Locals
Ivan and Val Parker’s intention to purchase Nanuya Island Resort was to employ local people and provide a better living for them.
The resort is located on the Northern tip of Nanuya Lailai Island in the Yasawa Group. Marketing and Promotions Consultant Greg Clayton said that the couple were visiting the Yasawa Group for more than 20 years and doing volunteering work in building schools for locals.
“They provide hundreds and thousands of dollars to help build schools in the community,” said Mr Clayton.
“When they got the opportunity to buy this resort, really not so much as a profit base, but actually the intention was to employ as many local people as possible and provide a better living for them.
“Many of the staff here are from the local villages and they cross the water daily to come and work.
“They built a larger staff quarters and there were 80 people living in there with their family rooms and single rooms.
“Again that is the significant cost of investment and it is not about making money as the absolute criteria, it was about the supporting the local people,” he said. Mr Clayton said: “It has been five years now and they tried to improve the quality accommodation around the beach.”
Tourist expectation
He said: “It is quite a lot of effort here to keep the Fijian way as possible
“But it still needs the western tourist expectation, the need of air conditioning; they want their private facilities, nice restaurant and a general store.
“We do not propose be a Sheraton but we do well in what we do and have a little bit more intimate feeling about it.
“For the five years it was not easy and it was a quite an effort to turn a small resort into something that people genuinely appreciate and get the feel for it and that is what we are after.
“Overall that is our philosophy is to look after the people, both the clients as well as the staff,” Mr Clayton added.
Marine conservation
Last week, a first launching of a traditional marine conservation taboo was held at the resort and it was a privilege for the directors as it was a way to promote the tourism industry and environment at their resort.
Resort General Manager Aquila Kula said there is a great relationship of the resort directors with the surrounding villagers which enables them to host the first initiative of marine conservation through traditional vanua links.