Cater For Fiji's

New Projects To

[?]Ooming Tourism

Fiji’s fast growing tourist in ustry has had another record ear, and plans are well in hand ) build new hotels at Yanuca dand, off Viti Levu, and at avusavu, on Vanua Levu, to ater for the growing number of isitors. total number of visitors in - 1965 was 40,332 —more than )üble the figure of three years ago.

Successive annual increases have :en 5,991 in 1963; 7,378 in 1964; id 8,708 last year.

Fifty-five per cent of last year’s sitors stayed at least four days, ic largest number came from New laland. They totalled 11,175.

The Americans, who sent the rgest number of visitors in 1964, -re in second place with 9,549. astralians were not far behind with 100. New Zealanders, Americans d Australians together acccounted r 74 per cent, of all visitors.

Air Travel Popular

Ninety three per cent, of visitors rived by air compared with 89 per tit. in 1964.

In addition to staying visitors, ?re were 90,907 through passengers air and 47,533 by sea, including ,032 on cruise ships.

The new hotel at Yanuca Island, the south coast of the main and of Viti Levu, will cost 600,000.

It is being built by a Nadi-based iipany. Hotel Services Ltd., which wholly owned by Fiji Resorts 1 These are connected with the npanies which operate Mocambo ►tel and Skylodge Hotel at Nadi rport.

Fhe new hotel is to be developed three stages. A multi-storey block itaining 108 bedrooms will be It initially. This will have a pool 1 adjoining service buildings and dlions. rhe second stage will be the con action of a further multi-storey ck containing 50 bedrooms; and

the third stage calls for the erection of 50 beach cottages.

There will also be extensive public rooms, restaurants and bars, a barber’s shop, beauty parlour and retail stores.

A permanent causeway is to be built from Viti Levu across the 50 yards of water to Yanuca Island, to enable easy access to the island.

The hotel has been designed by Honolulu architects Wimberly, Whisenend, Allison and Tong, who were responsible for the Sheraton- Maui Hotel in Hawaii, and the Inter continental Hotel at Pago Pago, American Samoa.

The new hotel at Savusavu, the picturesque copra port on Vanua

Levu, will replace the existing Hot Springs Hotel owned by Burns Philp (South Sea) Company.

The company hopes to begin the first stage—a public bar block— towards the end of this year.

A two-storey accommodation block will follow and then the existing hotel, an old wooden structure with about a dozen bedrooms, will be demolished.

The new hotel will be much larger than the present one.

A pleasant oasis for travellers on the northern coast of Viti Levu is the hotel at Rakiraki, a sugar town, 99 miles from Suva. A section of the hotel is seen here across the croquet lawn and garden.