Page 22 - Fiji Traveller Issue 10

Photos (clockwise from top left): Vanua Levu sunset, Nawi Island marina, Hotel Grand Epic, Ramada Encore

Hometown boy Hotels step up
Jiten Chand is a son of Vanua Levu. Returning from Australia, A significant addition to Labasa’s tourism sector sits on the
where he had a successful career in banking, he has built a periphery of its most recent and modern retail hub. The 40-room
supermarket, service station, holiday homes, coffee shop, Ramada Encore by Wyndham is now taking bookings.
carwash and bakery at Vuo, but has ambitions to create an even The hotel is situated on the Damodar City site, a sprawling
larger community hub. complex that has transformed retail and entertainment
This village is my hometown,” he says, gesturing to the land experiences in Labasa and boasts the best cinema in the country.
outside his office. “I was born here, grew up here, did primary, Meanwhile the Charan Jeath Singh (CJS) Group, which
secondary, tertiary, and the attachment was always there to operates two long-established hotels in Labasa –The Grand
one day come back and change things for the better for the Eastern and The Friendly North Inn – is also upgrading its
community.” products.
Chand and his partners are developing land which was once a The hotel has also expanded, with new guest rooms, including
sugarcane farm, and are working with landowners to develop a apartment-style accommodation on offer, and a conference
health centre, police post and a number of other retail and office facility being developed.
spaces in Vuo. A new service offering day cruises to nearby islands including
Residential lots are also in the works. Kia, Mali and Kavewa on a 30-seat catamaran is also to operate
His holiday home business attracts mostly visitors in the area from the Grand Eastern’s jetty. Hotel Manager Ravikash Chand
to visit relatives and attend family functions such as weddings. says not only the CJS group will benefit, but also the communities
they visit.

22