THE tourism industry has provided employment to many — both directly and indirectly — improving the lives of families and contributing significantly to the Fijian economy.
For most villagers living along the Coral Coast, the tourism industry is one of the major employment options.
For Vatukarasa villager Maritina Lewamoli, her decision to join the staff at the Maui Palms Fiji had been the best decision she made.
Originally from Naitasiri, Ms Lewamoli started working at Maui Palms about seven and half years ago — when the owners started their operations — and has stayed with them.
“When I first started working here there were only four villas and today there are 10,” she said.
According to Ms Lewamoli, working at Maui Palms has been a great experience for her, helping her to grow into a better team player.
“I had worked at Tambua Sands as a waitress and then when the Palms opened, I applied and got a job here,” she said.
Ms Lewamoli said they had a great employer who was always there, teaching them and guiding them whenever they needed help.
“My work here can be categorised as general because here all of us do everything. We are a team and we share all the work here — you can say we are multiskilled.”
Maui Palms is a boutique beachfront resort with private villas and employs 12 full-time staff members.
Ms Lewamoli said staff members at the resort had experience in all the departments and always helped out when one of them was not present.
“There are times when we make mistakes but we are always encouraged by our boss to learn from our mistakes and move on and improve ourselves,” she said.
“This is not a huge property like the resorts along the Coral Coast but we work equally hard here and offer our guests excellent service and stay,” she said.
Ms Lewamoli believes that through hard work, determination and dedication, people can improve on the quality of work and service they provide.
“We make mistakes and learn every day – there is no end to learning and this is something that young people in the hospitality industry should always keep in mind,” she said.
Ms Lewamoli said they had regular trainings and refreshers at the resort to help them keep up to date with the changes and developments in the industry.
“It is important for us to know what’s happening in the industry and what are the new trends so that we are up to par with the requests and demands from our guests,” she said.
Ms Lewamoli plans to continue working at the resort and grow her experience as the establishment grows.
