The team at Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort, on Viti Levu’s Coral Coast, wanted to give back to the local community, and it turned out their guests were just as motivated to help.
Enter Outrigger’s Community Tourism initiative, a powerful program born after Outrigger spotted that their local school district needed help back in 2014.
The project, which was assisted by Stuba’s Mark Luckey, began with building a large hall at Conua School in the Sigatoka Valley. When completed, the building could fit 100 people for school and village meetings.
A recent milestone was the construction of the Eddie Betts kindergarten (aided by the philanthropy of Adelaide Crows AFL legend), two new classrooms, a computer room, a library and a meeting hall.
The construction of additional teachers’ quarters is now underway.
Outrigger also put its weight behind a maternity ward and medivac helipad at Sigatoka District Hospital. And in 2016, an eye scanner for the eye clinic was finally afforded, helping doctors to detect early-onset diabetes.
They also provide accommodation to the eye specialists from Benevolent Mission International, which restores eyesight to around 80 locals per year.
So where do the guests come in?
This Community Tourism project gives guests a chance to volunteer their time over one or two days during their holiday to assist the resort’s engineering team with all aspects of the construction phase, from basic labour work to more skilled trades.
“When guests participate in the project, not only do they have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the Fiji community but they also have the opportunity to interact with the local school children, share a bowl of kava with the local villages”.
Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort
In addition, every month, a different department of the hotel runs some form of community service, like the annual Outrigger Walk for Kids Walkathon, which helps raise funds for the Sigatoka School for Special Education and Conua District School.
Guests are more than welcome to take part.
For more information on a holiday in Fiji that will help you #traveltochangetheworld and the life of a local community, take a look at the project’s Facebook page.