"Red prawn'' island

will get in on the tourist boom

the announcement recently ** of a $H million plan to build an unusual 100-unit resort on famous Vatulele Island, home of the legendary red prawns, a Fiji local’s dream looks like being fulfilled.

The money will be American, but management will be the responsibility of locally-born Hector Macdonald.

Currently tours and entertainment manager at Korolevu Beach Hotel, he says he’s been harbouring the Vatulele idea for more than three years.

He is a director of the specially formed Continental Development (Fiji) Ltd., of which Ronald F.

Cosgrave, of Alaska, is managing director. The third director is Henry J. Camarot, a lawyer from Portland, Oregon.

Vatulele, which is under native lease, lies 18 miles south of Viti Levu. It is recognised as one of the most scenically-attractive of Fiji’s islands, with fine white sand and a profusion of coconut palms.

It is here that the legend of the live red prawns—known in Fijian as “ura-buta”, or “cooked prawns”— originated. They are still to be seen in pools beneath the high cliffs of Vatulele.

According to Hector Macdonald, construction of the resort will begin next March, with the first 50 units due to open by December.

The concept, created by the New Zealand firm of architects, Price Adams Dodd, looks intriguing in its present mini-model form, which was on display during the Fiji Tourism Convention in October.

Small clusters of round houses nestle under the palms, like little colonies of toadstools. In reality, they will have tall pitched roofs curving upwards in an adaptation of Fijian tradition, thatched on the outside but fibreglass sheeted underneath.

“We intend to disturb the island as little as possible,” said Mr.

Macdonald. “For instance, instead of concrete ramps across the beach for boat handling, retractable steel matting will be unrolled across the sand when required.”

A 3,300 ft airstrip, probably serviced by Air Pacific, is to be built a mile from the resort and an 80 ft catamaran is to be ordered within the next few weeks. Facilities will in clude stables housing 20 horses.

The tariff, said Hector Macdonald, will be in the vicinity of $2O a day, everything included except liquor. If guests stayed more than four days, the to-and-fro transport costs would be included.

In the meantime, it’s rumoured that plans for a resort called The Islander have fallen through. The re sort was to have been built on Nanuya Levu, 55 miles off Lautoka, with construction beginning in April.

So far, there have been no develop ments. Mr. Hume Huntley, manag ing director of the company behind the plan, Vacation Properties Fiji Ltd., is currently manager at Cast away Island. In early October, the latter was still for sale—for $600,000.

A MELANESIAN Tourist Federa tion was formed at a conference in Honiara in September of tourism representatives from Papua-New Guinea, the BSIP, New Hebrides and New Caledonia.

The aims of the federation are to promote the countries of the federa tion on overseas markets, to en courage travel between the countries, to build up package tours between them and preserve as much as pos sible Melanesian culture.

Present at the conference were Mr. J. Moulders, secretary of the New Hebrides Chamber of Com merce, Industry and Agriculture; Mr.

D. Barrett, member of the Papua- New Guinea Tourist Board; Mr. Y.

Ezanno, president of ASCADETO, New Caledonia; Mr. P. Schaap, representative of Fiji Airways; Mr.

R. Burrow-Wilkes, chairman of the BSIP Tourist Authority; Mr. P. H.

Brown, member of the BSIP Tourist Authority, and Mr. Francis Bugotu, member of the BSIP Tourist Authority.

The conference decided on “four links in a golden chain” as the most popular slogan for the federation. It was agreed to try and work out a joint promotion for a Melanesian Day at the PATA Conference in Manila on January 21 next year.

The conference also agreed to invite air carriers and representatives from Australian and NZ tourist com missions to the next conference to be held in Rabaul in November.

Fiji Airways Name Change

9 Fiji Airways will become Pacific Islands Airways officially on April 1, 1971. And until then the new name will appear in brackets whenever Fiji Airways is mentioned. The airline will also get new livery, colours and logo.