1. Warwick Hotels and Resorts has been present in Fiji for more than three decades. How would you describe the group's contribution to Fiji's tourism industry, and what continues to make the country such an important market for Warwick?
Warwick first started its hotel operations on the Coral Coast in 1979. We believed at that time that Fiji was a very strategic location in the South Pacific and that expansion in this area offered strong potential for the Warwick Group.
We started with the Warwick Fiji in 1979 and later acquired the Naviti Resort in 1988, followed by two more hotels, the Tokatoka Resort and Tambua Sands Resort, in 2011 and 2012.
We have a great deal of confidence in Fiji's tourism industry because we consider Fiji a hub for the other South Pacific countries. That is why we intend to continue investing in this strategic location.
Over the years, we have employed many people not only from the nearby villages but from around the country, and we train them to become professionals in the tourism industry.
Beyond employment, we also provide assistance to nearby villages and communities, including renovating medical centres, village halls, village houses and schools.
We believe that we are not here simply to make money. We have to contribute back to society and the community.
We plan to increase our investment in Fiji, and there are already potential opportunities for us to develop more hotels. If other opportunities arise, we are also very interested in continuing to invest in other destinations.
2. The group plans to invest close to FJD 200 million over the next 30 months, with the majority directed towards Fiji and the tourism sector. What does this significant investment say about Warwick's confidence in Fiji's long-term tourism prospects, and what opportunities do you see for further investment?
Our plan is to invest FJD 200 million into the tourism business. We are planning to build two resorts, one in Nadi and one on the Coral Coast.
We also have other pieces of land where we are waiting for the leases to be finalized and for construction plans to be developed.
Fiji is a very significant area in the Pacific, and I think it is still not totally known to international markets. There is a lot of potential.
With the expansion of the Fiji Airways network, we are seeing more opportunities to promote the attractiveness of Fiji as a destination. We also hope that the government's announcement of the need for 4,000 additional hotel rooms will help support the sector.
Of course, this will not happen overnight. It will take time for development to take place, but we do believe that more hotels will bring more business and greater awareness of Fiji in international markets.
However, we do not want to have a situation where Fiji is overbuilt. We do not want Fiji to become like Hawaii or some other places that have developed into massive tourism destinations.
We want people to experience Fiji as a very different and prestigious destination, where they can understand and appreciate the culture and beauty of the islands.
3. Fiji is targeting significant growth in visitor numbers over the coming years. What needs to happen across accommodation, aviation, infrastructure, skills and tourism experiences to ensure that this growth is sustainable and translates into greater economic benefits for Fiji?
The expectation of building 4,000 additional rooms is a target, but it also requires a great deal of coordination between different government departments.
Businesses would benefit from a more streamlined approval process. Currently, most of the land in Fiji is under iTaukei leases. Once land has been identified, you first have to discuss the project with the iTaukei Land Trust Board, then go through various processes to obtain the lease, followed by permits and approval for construction plans.
It is quite a lengthy process. If all government departments can coordinate better to make sure this process is smoother and shorter, I am sure there will be more investors who would be interested in investing in Fiji.
On the aviation side, we can see the expansion of the Fiji Airways network. Of course, if we can have more airlines coming to Fiji, that would be even better. Our international airport can also be expanded to cater for more flights.
Fiji has a significant position in the South Pacific and very good connections to various destinations. The current routes to Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Vancouver make Fiji very strategic as a South Pacific hub.
To be successful, of course, you cannot rely solely on bringing people in from overseas. You have to develop local people.
There are many people in Fiji who are still unemployed, so there is a real need to create employment opportunities. Fiji has good educational facilities that young people can use to develop a background in hospitality.
However, on-the-job training is even more important. Many times, when people learn something at school or an educational institution, it is mainly theoretical. It is when you come to work that you understand the practical side of the business.
We have recruited many people from educational institutions and nearby villages, and we conduct on-the-job training so that they understand how to provide the right level of service.
We also engage local people from villages to provide entertainment, such as the meke and fire shows, creating opportunities for them to develop their own small businesses.
We have handicrafts sold at our hotels, where we provide space for women from nearby communities to sell their products.
We also purchase many products produced by local communities, particularly vegetables and fruits. There is a lot of land that is still sitting idle, and we have been encouraging villagers to develop plantations because whatever they produce, we are able to purchase.
This means that we are not only providing employment to villagers; we are also helping them grow their own businesses by supporting the hotels.
4. Fiji is competing with an increasingly sophisticated group of destinations across the Pacific and Indian Ocean. How is Warwick adapting its properties and guest experiences to attract higher-value travelers while maintaining the authentic Fijian character that makes the destination distinctive?
Our president has always told us that we do not want a hotel that could be found anywhere in the world.
We need to have our own character. That is why, when we talk about upgrading or construction, we concentrate on using wood and stone.
We do not want to create something that could be found in Santa Fe, Asia or anywhere else. Our hotels have to have their own character so that when visitors arrive, they know they are in Fiji, rather than simply being somewhere else in the world.
This is something we concentrate on with our furniture, decoration and building materials, using wood, stone and more natural materials wherever possible.
This is how we believe we can make a difference.
People come to the Coral Coast because they like it precisely because it is different from other parts of the world. The Coral Coast still has its charm.
Even though it is a little further from the airport, travelling another one and a half hours to a destination where people can truly relax is exactly what many travelers are looking for.
5. The U.S. is an important market for Fiji, particularly the U.S. West Coast and California. What opportunities do you see to attract more American travelers, and how can Warwick help position Fiji as a compelling long-haul destination for this audience?
That is a good question because, unfortunately, Americans are often more inclined to book hotels with which they are already familiar, such as Sheraton or Marriott, because those brands are very popular in America.
We do need to try harder to tap into the American market.
Warwick has hotels in different markets, but we are essentially a mid-range hotel group. We have our presence, and we also have a loyalty program, Warwick Journeys, which helps people become aware that Warwick has hotels not only in America but also in Europe and the Pacific.
Hopefully, one day they will come to our hotels once they have become more familiar with the Pacific.
There is also the challenge that American travelers sometimes do not spend a lot of time in Fiji, so they prefer to stay in areas closer to the airport. However, I think that, in time, they will not mind travelling another one and a half hours to reach the Coral Coast.
6. Sustainability and climate resilience are particularly important for an island tourism destination such as Fiji. How is Warwick incorporating environmental responsibility, climate resilience and community engagement into its existing properties and new developments?
We have already started using much more solar energy. Fiji has a great deal of sunshine, and not making use of solar energy would be a waste. However, we also have to structure it in a way that does not compromise the appearance of the hotel.
We have started installing solar lights around the properties, particularly on the exterior. We also use solar energy to power our engineering workshops and laundry operations, and more will be developed in this direction.
We are studying how we can use more solar energy to power electrical appliances, but we have to consider locations where the solar panels are not visually intrusive.
Our regional chief engineer has been working diligently to develop these solutions.
Another important area is water. We have our own reservoirs to collect water. In one hotel, we use around 400 litres of water a day, so it is important that we can support the operation by collecting and treating our own water.
Unfortunately, government water infrastructure has not reached some of our hotels, so we have had to develop our own resources.
We may also look at desalination plants, although this is not an easy process because we would need to conduct an environmental impact assessment and undertake significant additional work.
There are also areas such as rubbish collection and recycling methods where we are implementing improvements.
We want to preserve the pristine environment in the areas where we operate and make sure that we do not overdo it.
7. Warwick's investment in Fiji is part of a broader Pacific strategy, with the group also developing and operating properties elsewhere in the region. How do you see Warwick's Pacific portfolio evolving over the next five to ten years, and could Fiji become an even more important hub for the group's regional growth?
We have been looking at properties in Samoa and Tonga for probably 10 to 15 years, and we are still looking at opportunities in those countries.
We already have a presence in Vanuatu, where we currently operate a resort with 150 rooms, and we are working on an extension of another 100 rooms.
It is a large piece of land where we can do a lot more, and we are also looking at other opportunities in Vanuatu. We are now looking at the Solomon Islands as well because we see the potential there.
Our group is continuing to focus on the South Pacific, but the main focus is still Fiji. The other markets will be more like subsidiaries, and we hope that, in time, we will have hotels in all the Pacific countries.
Of course, we also have to consider the return on investment.
When we were looking at Tonga and Samoa previously, there were some crises that caused us to stop those projects. But the economies are coming back very quickly, and we should be able to expand in those areas and look at other opportunities.
8. Finally, what message would you like to share with s Angeles Times readers about Fiji's tourism and investment potential? Why should American travelers, investors and international hospitality partners take a closer look at Fiji at this particular moment?
As I have said, Fiji has a very strong presence in the South Pacific. Communication and language are also advantages because it is easier to communicate with American businesses.
Most people in Fiji can speak proper English, and that business environment is a strong factor in attracting American investors.
For investors who are looking at opportunities in the Pacific, Fiji is a very important and promising location.
And, of course, we want to see more tourists coming.
I have been told that many Americans still travel only as far as Hawaii. But Hawaii is part of America.
If you want to be an international traveller, you need to go beyond that and try another six-hour flight. Then you are going to be in Fiji, which is a very promising place for investment and for a holiday.
