Five container ships are returning to Fiji from Australia, without any cargo.
The Chief Executive of the Campbell Shipping, Ian Campbell, in a letter to the
Commander and Head of the Interim Military Government, Commodore
Voreqe Bainimarama saying these were the first group of vessels to be
returning without containers.
He added that a total of five hundred containers had been left behind and that
a
similar number would not make the trip to Fiji by the end of July if the current
crisis remains.
“So you can clearly see the bite is coming and people have yet to feel
it. By the
end of July 1000 containers would have failed to reach Fiji from Australia.
We are
only talking imports here but exports are also being hit,” Mr Campbell
wrote.
The bans were put in place in protest over the current hostage crisis.
(END)
Due to the current situation in Suva and the resulting downturn in occupancies,
we
are temporarily closing the Sheraton Royal Denarau Resort from Wednesday
June 14, 2000, for approximately 3-4 weeks. All guests are being
accommodated in either the Sheraton Fiji Resort or Sheraton Denarau Villas
during this time. We are also taking this opportunity to carry out some necessary
maintenance work. Rest assured, Sheraton Royal Denarau Resort will reopen as
soon as possible after bookings start to return to normal levels.
This temporary closure also helps us to preserve employment for all of our
associates. While we are very concerned with the situation in Suva, which is
deeply regrettable, we are also sensitive to the needs of our associates whose
job security is of fundamental importance in order for them to continue to support
their families.
The Sheraton Resorts are located on the western side of Viti Levu. Fiji’s
largest
island Suva, which is on the eastern side of Viti Levu, is some three hours
away
from the resorts by car. Nadi Airport, located 15 minutes away from Sheraton
Resorts, is operating normally and current revised flight schedules continue
to be
unaffected.
Sheraton Fiji Resort and Sheraton Denarau Villas, on Denarau Island are
otherwise fully functioning with all services and facilities running normally.
While
occupancy levels are lower than they should be at this time of year, guests
are
continuing to arrive. The areas surrounding the resorts such as Nadi town have
been unaffected and remain quiet and peaceful.
Many comments have been received from guests who have been staying at
the resorts since the attempted coup which endorse the following message we
received from Mrs Eileen Vickers, who only recently departed after her holiday.
“I have been a guest of Sheraton Royal Denarau Resort since 18 May 2000,
and will be departing as I planned on 6 June. I have done nothing but relax
and
enjoy the company of the staff at Sheraton Royal as I always do during my
holidays. I have not heard or seen any sign of trouble on Denarau Island that
might be related to the circumstances that are happening in Suva. It’s
very clear
to see that Denarau is very well isolated from what’s happening and I am
continuing to enjoy my holiday and am not looking forward to leaving.”
“I am a widow and always travel alone. Consequently, I do not make a habit
of
holidaying in trouble spots - Denarau is not and never was a trouble spot. I
have no concerns at all as to returning to Sheraton Royal Denarau for a 5-day
stay reserved for July on my way back to New Zealand after a few weeks in
the United Kingdom.”
While the above is intended as general information, we recommend travelers
consult their respective embassies or government travel advisory departments
if they are undecided about their current travel plans.
Please contact us if you need any further specific information.
Sheraton Resorts, Denarau Island, Fiji
Mark M Whinnie, General Manager - Ph: (679) 750000 Fax: (679) 750158
Email: mark_mcwhinnie@sheraton.com
Corinne Janssen, Director of Sales & Marketing - Ph: (679) 750000 Fax: (679)
750588
Email: corinne_janssen@sheraton.com
Moira Lee, Public Relations Manager - Ph: (679) 750000 Fax (679) 750588
Email: moira_lee@sheraton.com
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