By Una Murray

Kini Sarai (left), and Wayne Robinson (right) welcome Andrew Te Whaiti to the Outrigger on the Lagoon - Fiji

The Outrigger on the Lagoon – Fiji (FOR) was honored to welcome Andrew Te Whaiti, the Managing Director for Cultural Tourism in New Zealand. Andrew visited the FOR property to share his knowledge and experience in enhancing the guest experience. Andrew has established an international reputation in the field of Cultural Tourism; for almost five years Andrew was the CEO of Te Puia (the former New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute), which focuses on Maori arts, crafts, and culture.

In 2005, he was the principal keynote speaker at the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association Conference, and in 2006, he was the keynote speaker at the Hawaii Tourism Conference. For the last three years, Andrew has been working on developing new ways of researching, designing, and implementing Cultural Tourism on some of the most sacred lands in Hawaii, including the sacred lands surrounding the Keauhou Beach Resort on the Island of Hawaii.

During his visit to the Outrigger on the Lagoon – Fiji, Andrew met with General Manager Darren Shaw, Director of Sales Wayne Robinson, and Activities Manager Kini Sarai to discuss and experience what the property has to offer. He was very impressed with the many cultural activities available to our guests, including story telling with Uncle Jim, traditional Fijian kava ceremonies, cooking demonstrations, Fijian basket weaving, and much more.

We look forward to welcoming Andrew back to the Outrigger on the Lagoon – Fiji.