Transcript
LASARUGA TARUGA: For the tourists it's just when there is a vessel in port in Suva, we'll give them one to two hours and then after that we'll open it back to the locals.We are just giving the pools to the tourists first, the priority to them. Because when they are on the ship coming into Suva this park has been advertised on board, and we just like to keep it that way and make that connection and let them have a good time and relax when they come into the park.
JO O'BRIEN: How often is that happening then? How often do you get the people from the ships at the park?
LT: Two, three times a month.
JOB: Is this just a new policy you've introduced?
LT: No it's been there. We are sort of just upgrading it to cater for the amount of people that goes into the park. We have thousands of people going into the park per month.
JOB: How many people from the ships do you get when they come?
LT: For a ship, we are looking at 600 tourists.
JOB: So they are all coming at once?
LT: Yes.
JOB: So why have you made this policy to restrict access for locals from using the pools when the tourists are there?
LT: As I said we don't have huge pools, just small with nice waterfalls. Tourists like to take a dip and they would appreciate the clear cool blue waters and when locals come in it's just simply overcrowded.
JOB: Is it also because have there been incidents with tourists being robbed?
LT: No not being robbed, just some items going missing.
JOB: Have there been many incidents like that?
LT: No we've just had a one-off incident and we're trying to address it now.
JOB: I understand there has been some criticism that this is discriminating against local people. What is your response to that?
LT: No no it's just simply a misunderstanding by local people because most of the local people they listen to us and they understand and they can wait just for one or two hours just to let the tourists enjoy the pool and then the tourists pulls out again and then they enjoy the pool for the whole day. Because at the end of the day it's the safety and security of tourists that's paramount, that has to be kept intact.
JOB: The park is it quite a major tourist attraction for people to come visit?
LT: Yes definitely, we have a series of waterfalls, we have a series of pools. Recently after Tropical Cyclone Winston it has somehow diminished because of what has happened in the park.
JOB: How badly was it affected?
LT: Not that bad, it's just falling trees that fell into the pools and we're just trying to clear it out. It has minimised pool spaces that we used to have before.
JOB: So is that why your pool space is reduced? Has that been one of the reasons for this rule?
LT: Yes.
JOB: So once the pools are cleared of those trees will you be able to open up access for the locals then or do you think this rule will stay?
LT: Definitely definitely yes.
JOB: So is it just a temporary measure while you are doing that work?
LT: Yes we are undergoing a major upgrading project for the pool at the moment and hopefully come January we'll be able to open it 24/7 to both tourists and the locals.
