A person rejects drug use

Drug-Free World Fiji Founder Kalesi Volatabu emphasizes the importance of maintaining professional integrity and resisting temptations posed by drug offers.

While conducting their inaugural drug awareness workshop at Radisson Blu Resort Fiji, Volatabu reveals that staff at the resort shared various encounters with some tourists seeking to obtain drugs, highlighting the need for vigilance.

However, she stresses that it’s crucial that staff remain steadfast and avoid engaging in such illicit activities.

Volatabu says at times our friendliness and willingness to help could lend us in a compromising situation.

“Hearing stories from, you know, things as being porters and you’re getting the bags, not knowing that bags may be carrying drugs and you don’t even know that you’re just doing your job, yeah. So it’s literally just, how do you get them to be vigilant, to be alert, yeah. That’s not all tourists, it’s going to be nice, yeah. So just, you know, be sure that you can say no when they ask you to do certain things you have to say no, yeah.”

She states this also comes down to the HR managers making sure they remind staff that they could be reprimanded if they are caught in the drug trade.

Volatabu’s remarks were part of a broader effort to educate hospitality workers about the dangers of drug abuse and the importance of adhering to ethical standards.

The workshop aimed to provide staff with the tools and knowledge needed to navigate these challenges and uphold a drug-free environment within their workplaces.

The event marks the first direct engagement between the organization and a resort in Fiji, highlighting the pressing issue of drug-related incidents involving tourists.