Savusavu Turns

It On For

The Tourists

Savusavu, a beautiful gem of the tropics on Fiji’s “forgotten island” of Vanua Levu, had an opportunity to show its stuff on June 26, when P & O-Orient liner Orcades spent a day there with 1,500 Australian tour ists. It was the first visit of an overseas liner to Savu savu. \I ANUA Levu people have been » complaining for years—with some truth—that the main island of Viti Levu, on which Suva is situa ted, always takes the cream from international tourism. They say that Viti Levu designs its tourists’ traps to keep visitors on that island once they land by ship or air.

Last year the P & O-Orient top brass, on the look-out for something different, decided to try Savusavu as an experiment.

The experiment was such a success that within 24 hours of the Orcades’ departure in June the Union Steam Ship Co. Ltd., of Suva, agents for P & O, announced they would recom mend another P & O-Orient liner to make a cruise there next year.

Savusavu is not normally equipped to handle such an invasion, for it has little more than a dozen shops, most of them well-worn wooden shacks, a small hotel, only sufficient transport for local requirements, and no wharf capable of taking such a large liner (although a good wharf nevertheless).

But those handicaps did not deter Savusavu. The people set to work with their well-known enthusiasm to arrange entertainment, a Fijian feast, reef exploring and shell collect ing expeditions, a visit to a copra plantation and a tour for photo graphers.

P and O also played a part in tak ing ashore portable equipment, such as conveniences and bathing sheds, a buffet to cater for those who did not go to the feast or where unable to be fed at the Hot Springs Hotel, or at Mr. C. G. O. Parr’s estate, Muanicula, which operates on a miniature Korolevu scale.

The Hot Springs Hotel was well decorated, and the management pro vided an extra lounge which, before

it was transferred to the hotel, served Savusavu as a town hall. Unable to cope with the influx of visitors on a scorching day, even with an augmented staff, the hotel had to call on the Orcades to lend a few stewards to help out.

Fijians came from villages many miles distant to watch the Orcades sail to within half a mile of the wharf before dropping anchor. As the visitors were ferried ashore in the ship’s boat they were given a warm welcome, and the women were garlanded with flowers.

At Yaroi Village the tourists saw a copra-cutting contest, and the cook ing of Fijian dishes such as yams,

dalo, and pigs in a lovo (under ground oven). They saw Fijian handi crafts being made, and watched Fijian women perform a number of mekes.

The visitors bought Fijian baskets and mats by the hundred, but prac tically ignored duty-free transistors, tape recorders, and cameras, which Suva traders had sent to Savusavu a day or two beforehand in the hope of extra trading before the Orcades called at Suva next day. The general reaction of the tourists was, “We want do our shopping at Suva tomorrow”.

Which is exactly what the Savusavu people hoped they might feel.