Iririki Island Resort owner optimistic despite flight challenges

July 10, 2024 12:16 am | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook

By Doddy Morris.

Brendon Deeley, one of the owners of Iririki Island Resort, is optimistic about the future of tourism in Vanuatu despite current challenges with flight availability affecting tourism industry.

Mr. Deeley is hopeful that reliable flights from airlines like Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services (QANTAS) and Jetstar will soon resume, and once Vanuatu have regular and reliable flights in and out of Australia and New Zealand, there will be an increase in demand for people to travel to Vanuatu.

“Why would people choose to live in Sydney and Melbourne when you can be just a short flight away living in paradise? I think there are investment opportunities here for people in Australia and New Zealand to come and actually do business, not just sit back and retire, but actually start businesses as well,” he said.

“There are opportunities for high skilled people to come and bring those skills over to Vanuatu and actually start a business here and training up locals and over the next generations those locals will be able to start their own business as well and move the country forward.

“Vanuatu is the most amazing place it really is like a paradise on earth, I have never lived outside of Australia for the long term and to come from Australia which is very different country to Vanuatu, obviously a much developed country to come here does have its challenges when you try to settle with a family in another country.

“Vanuatu has it challenges but also great potential. It is filled with beautiful and peaceful people, good people and God fearing people who want to do the right thing and develop themselves, and because of that the future is so bright for the country.”

However, Deeley acknowledged the airline situation is the biggest challenge, with cancellations and postponements affecting bookings.

“We would have been nearly full for June and July, but now we are running three-quarters empty because of the disappearance of Air Vanuatu. Most of our customers booked on Air Vanuatu, so their bookings have either been postponed or cancelled,” he explained.

Despite this, Iririki Island Resort has managed to retain and even increase its staff, preparing for an eventual resurgence in tourism.

“Since we have been running our conferences, they have been busy all the time. We have been so blessed in this space, and we have increased our employees at Iririki from 150 to about 170,” he said.

“That’s about 20 new employees, even with the current situation with the flights, which everyone knows is not so good at the moment. But we are very hopeful once those flights start to come and people start flying in from Australia and New Zealand, the number of employees will increase more and more.”

Deeley praised the potential of the island nation and the staff of Iririki Island Resort.

“We have the most wonderful team of people who truly care about each other and about Iririki. I am very thankful for the opportunity Vanuatu has given us, and I am very hopeful for the future. Once we get the airlines coming in, it’s going to be great times for Vanuatu,” he said.

In regards to the Resort’s new conference room, he said the island’s conference facilities still have underutilised rooms, but plans are in place to expand their use as flight availability improves.

“As time progresses, we plan on doing more work within this space to use other rooms for meetings. Once we get more flights coming into Vanuatu, we hope to market this area as a conference destination. We aim to attract people who wouldn’t previously consider Vanuatu from Australia and New Zealand, not just for conferences but also for weddings, bringing numerous benefits to the country,” the Resort owner said.