Sun Princess Brings In Tourists, Berths Into 4 Ports Here
The gloomy Suva weather did not dampen the spirit of the 2091 tourists and 836 crew members of the Cruise Ship Sun Princess that called into the Suva port yesterday morning.
Suva port was the Bermuda based vessel’s second port of call for the four days it is spending in the Fiji waters.
The vessel berthed at Dravuni port in Kadavu on Monday, was in Suva yesterday, is at Savusavu today and will be at Lautoka tomorrow.
Vessel agent Kenua Fiji, manager, Leone Naivalu confirmed that the cruise liner was the second cruise vessel listed under Kenua Fiji’s watch to berth into the country this month.
“This is Kenua Fiji’s second cruise liner for the year, as we had welcomed Carnival Legend in our waters on January 2 this year,” Mr Naivalu said.
According to the Kenua Fiji schedule, cruise liner Sun Princess is expected to make another round to Fiji in April this year.
Australian couple, Ben Salter and wife Simone Salter said their Fijian experience has been great so far and they are expecting a memorable stay in the country.
They had boarded the vessel from Australia last week and are half way through their two weeks cruise on the Sun Princess.
“We are loving it here, the weather is fine, and we are enjoying the trip so far,” Mrs Salter said.
“We hope to have a great experience touring the country in the next few days,” she said
“It’s our first time in Fiji and we’re grateful to be here.”
A handicraft stall owner that wished not to be named stated that it was business as usual for them as they anxiously wait for tourists to buy their handicraft.
“I have been in the business for more than ten years and it has changed a lot to what it was once to what it has become now,” he said.
“The business has really declined in sales because now tourists prefer to shop from bigger shopping centres in the country that sells exactly what we sell out here in the streets,” he added.
“One of the main hinderances in the decline in our sales is the crossing lights that has been installed close to the Suva port south entrance, tourists cross the road from the lights and do not have a chance to come pass our stalls to go through the handicraft on sale.
“There is so many competition in the handicraft market today as we have so many people in the handicraft business but we continue to come out here during cruise liner visits to sell our products to tourists coming in.”
