of $65m Fiji hotel project

trade winds

Chinese have hand in first phase of $65m Fiji hotel project

Grand Pac Inc., a Hawaii deve lopment company, is to begin construction in October on Vunaniu Bay Resort, a $65 million tourism development in Fiji, with Phase 1 work to be undertaken by SIETCO (Sichuan Corporation for In ternational Techno-Economic Cooperation), a People’s Re public of China construction company from the province of Sichuan.

The worldwide firm, Dilling ham Construction, has been contracted to oversee comple tion of remaining work on the project.

Vunaniu Bay Resort will be built on 60.75 ha (150 acres) of freehold land at Korovisilou on the Coral Coast on Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu.

Ground-breaking cere monies for the project were scheduled for mid-September at Vunaniu Bay with Fiji’s Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, as chief guest, while dignitaries from China, Hong Kong, Australia, Hawaii, Guam, New Zealand, as well as Fiji, were expected to be in attend ance. ■ When completed, the resort will feature a SUS2O million, 300-room hotel, a 150-room, $l5 million hotel, 150 villas, a condominium, golf course and country club, an arts and hand icrafts centre, and a shopping mall.

The Chinese construction company, SIETCO, in its agree ment with Grand Pac Inc., is providing $6 million in interim financing for Phase 1 deve lopment, and in return will be general contractors for the ini tial work.

According to Grand Pac Inc. chairman and chief executive, Michael Hickey, the Phase 1 construction is expected to be completed in 18 months. De

sign and management of this phase of the project are being handled by the Media Ten and Carstens and Jenkin companies of Suva.

SIETCO is contracted to pro vide the headworks and infra structure for Vunaniu Bay Re sort. This includes roads, drains, sewerage treatment faci lities, utilities to the site, a nine-hole golf course and club house, and a man-made lake.

Mr Hickey said that the agreement with SIETCO opened up many possibilities for Fiji and neighoring countries in the Southwest Pacific.

“SIETCO executives have told me that they will be looking for other commercial deve lopments in the area in which they can participate,” said Mr Hickey.

SIETCO, which employs 70,000 people, is one of Chi na’s leading construction com panies, with major projects completed on mainland China, Thailand and in other parts of South East Asia.

Dillingham Construction is

no stranger to Fiji, having been responsible for major road work on the new Queens Road be tween Suva and Pacific Har bour, and Nadi and Sigatoka. It has been involved in major hotel construction in Hawaii including the Hyatt Regency Maui, and the Halekulani Hotel. In Australia it is now building the 500-room Jupiter Hotel and Casino in Surfers Paradise in a joint venture with the Jennings Group of Mel bourne.

In addition, the company is involved in a $45 million capital improvement project in Papua New Guinea, and a Hong Kong Government-sponsored Kow loon Bay housing scheme com prising 22 34-storey highrise apartment buildings.

Mr Hickey said discussions are continuing with selected hotel management companies concerning the two hotels to be built at Vunaniu Bay Resort.

He said that the 150 villas would each sell for about $lOO,OOO upwards and that lots would go on sale as soon as the

infrastructure was in place.

Mr Hickey said that for Fiji, Vunaniu Bay Resort meant substantial numbers of jobs for local people. “We expect to employ about 150 workers in the first phase of development alone. That number would in crease as the project grows.

“We will also be bringing in overseas investment money both in the construction phase of the project and through sales of the villas, the sale of the condominium apartments, and in hotel operations.

“We believe this major pro ject will benefit all in Fiji,” he said.

Mr Hickey’s mother, the for mer Lucy Mitchell, was born in Vanua Levu. The 44-year-old entrepeneur was born in Hawaii.

Although he has spent most of his professional life in hotel management and promotion in Hawaii, Mr Hickey was general manager of the Beachcomber Hotel at Pacific Harbour in 1975.

Grand Pacs Michael Hickey (left) discusses plans for the new $65 million Fiji hotel development, Vananiu Bay Resort with SIETCO business manager and engineer Liu Shouming (third from left).

SIETCO representatives Su Jiaxiao (second from left) and Yang Yonghoa (right) look on.