The Warwick Hotel states that it has never before altered or substituted ingredients for its drinks.
Responding to the hospitalisation of 7 of their guests at the Aspen Hospital in Lautoka, Warwick is adamant that this is the first time it has happened in Fiji.
Issuing a statement on the matter, Tourism Minister Viliame Gavoka said the management of the hotel are concerned and are cooperating fully with authorities as investigations continue.
“The management is obviously distressed and concerned for the welfare of their guests, and they are fully cooperat ing with authorities. We do not wish to speculate about the cause at this stage, as we are awaiting the results of ongoing investigations and laboratory tests.”
“The resort management has assured us that they have not engaged in practices such as substitutingingredients or altering the quality of drinks served to guests. The incident occurred at only one bar, and it involved seven tourists, ranging in age from young to older, who fell ill. The resort management shares
our concerns and is fully cooperating wi th the Ministry of Health and other authorities to identify what happened and to ensure the safety of all future guests.”
Gavoka said the Coalition government has reassured tourists that incident was an isolated one.
“The Fijian Government would like to reassure both local and international visitors to Fiji that this is a very isolated incident. Thous ands of tourists are currently visiting Fiji, and close to a million tourists visit annually, and safely. This is the only reported case of its kind that we’ve experienced in recent memory,
and certainly nothing like this has been experienced this year.”
