[Photo: File]

The iTaukei Land Trust Board says it has secured the long-term interests of Vatulele landowners by extending the development timeline for the island’s tourism lease, while the Viti Indigenous Tourism Alliance is calling for greater transparency and stronger consultation with landowners.

TLTB says it decided against terminating the lease with Jay Singh’s Vatulele Hotels Pte Limited after determining that doing so would expose landowners to the risk of losing a credible investor capable of delivering a major tourism project.

The Board says since acquiring the two tourism leases in 2019, the company has paid about $870,586 in lease payments to landowners and $200,000 towards education fund obligations. Outstanding rent of $171,881 is due by the end of this month.

TLTB says the redevelopment was delayed by legal issues involving the villa sublease, the deteriorated state of the resort after operations ceased, and the impacts of Cyclones Winston and Harold.

Following consultations, TLTB agreed to extend the lease development period by three years, from 2026 to 2029, subject to the execution and registration of variation documents. It says the extension is based on the company’s commitment to proceed with redevelopment and provide a clear implementation roadmap.

The Board also says it plans to hold joint consultations with the developer and environmental consultants to brief Vatulele landowners on the proposed development and environmental requirements.

Meanwhile, the Viti Indigenous Tourism Alliance says the concerns raised by Vatulele landowners over the lease extension and delays in redevelopment cannot be ignored.

VITA President Sitiveni Nawaqa says customary landowners must be at the centre of decisions affecting their ancestral land and has called on TLTB to explain the basis for the lease extension, engage directly with landowners, consider their concerns, and prioritise their long-term interests.

The alliance says tourism development can only be sustainable when Indigenous landowners are treated as equal partners and has backed the landowners’ call for a review of the current lease arrangement through the appropriate legal processes.