The investment undertaken by the owners of Country Hotel in Nadi will not only cater for guests, but also provide services to nearby communities and create job opportunities. Mere Bolavucu Navuniuci made this comment during the official opening of the property this week. Ms Navuniuci, the wife of Tui Nadi, was the chief guest at the opening ceremony. She said that the company made a major business expansion after opening Kiran Palace and Hotel Martintar in Lautoka and Nadi, respectively. “The $750,000 investment aims to meet the growing demand for services in the busy tourism hub while supporting the local community,” Ms Navuniuci said. Property owner Ben Krishna expressed pride in the project, which was acquired in 2024, especially given his ties to the area. “I’m very happy and very proud of what we have achieved,” Mr Krishna said. “This investment marks an expansion of our reach as this site becomes the third property in the west. Nawaicoba sits at the gateway to Nadi Town.” Mr Krishna said, since taking over, there has been great work put in place to bring the best in the property. “This is our big investment as we have increased the keys from 11 rooms to 20; a swimming pool with kids’ pool,” he said. There are about 15 staff members employed full-time at the property. “We have improved the accessibility by having wheelchair ramps and introduced three types of toilets for women, men, and a separate unisex toilet for transgender individuals,” Mr Krishna said. His wife, Parvati Devi, 67, owns a piece of land in Yako, where organic produce grows and is supplied to their hotel. The new site strengthens the company’s reach in Nadi, especially with the farm-to-fork concept. “This supports the locality, the farm is a great boost to replenish fresh fruits and vegetables in the hotel,” Ms Devi said. “Since I’ve been brought up in Narewa, I always wanted to do something for our people in the Nadi area.” Feedback: waisean@fijisun.com.fj