Fiji Marriot Resort at Momi Bay opened

400 new jobs are expected to be created when the new Fiji Marriot Resort at Momi Bay will be at its peak capacity.

While opening the resort, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says this does not even include the job opportunities for tour operators, duty free shops, beverage suppliers, the handicraft vendors, the fruit sellers on the highway and all the other Fijian enterprises that grow alongside our tourism industry.

The Fiji Marriot Resort at Momi Bay contains 250 rooms, including 22 open water bure villas over Fiji’s first ever man made lagoon.

It has three swimming pools, top of the line restaurants and exceptional views looking out over the lagoon and the ocean.

Bainimarama says it took nearly 700 hard working men and women to make it a reality. 

The Prime Minister also thanked the landowners and the wider Momi community.

He told the landowners that they have seen first hand that this project was started, abandoned, and restarted again.

Bainimarama says they have endured the false promises and countless disruptions to their way of life before they came in with the new vision and support to this project.

He says today their patience has been rewarded. 

Bainimarama also thanked the FNPF Board and in particular the Chairman Ajith Kodagoda for their work rehabilitating this investment. 

Meanwhile, FNPF Board Chairman Ajith Kodagoda says the Momi Hotel Redevelopment project commenced in November 2014 with an estimated construction cost of around $200 million.

He says it has been completed under budget.

Kodagoda says the project has boosted the growth in the construction industry and generated 400 new employment opportunities during construction.

He says for many reasons including poor governance, ill conceived advice and mismanagement led to selfish investors being able to feast over hard earned FNPF member savings.  

Kodagoda says FNPF is fortunate to have secured a management contract with the internationally renowned hotel brand, Marriot to manage the resort for the Fund.

FNPF had in 2014 provided debt finance, in partnership with the Fiji Development Bank to the Momi Hotel Development Project.