Take 3 for the Sea, Norwegian Cruise Line and Tourism Fiji host inaugural beach clean-up in Nadi, Fiji

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), Take 3 for the Sea and Tourism Fiji joined forces to offer a beach clean-up shore excursion for guests on the ship Norwegian Spirit when it docked in Lautoka, Fiji this month. Take 3 for the Sea and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) have previously collaborated to offer a series of successful beach clean-up excursions in Australian ports but this was their first international event, and their first in conjunction with Tourism Fiji. 

During a beach clean-up participants remove rubbish from the beach and foreshore and learn about the impact of rubbish and plastic pollution on ocean health.  

The clean-up took place at Wailoaloa beach in Nadi Bay. Of the 84 people who participated, 46 were NCL passengers and the remainder were volunteers from the Tourism Fiji Team, The Beach Club Wailoaloa, Ramada Hotel, Smugglers Cove, Althia Tours, Mamanuca Environment Centre and Nadi Police Station. 

Participants were guided by experts from Take 3 for the Sea who explained the harmful impact of plastic pollution on our oceans and marine wildlife and encouraged participants to reduce their own plastic footprints. In total the group collected a huge 514kg of litter from the beach. Including 180kg of tyres, 217 glass bottles and pieces, 447 plastic bottles, 242 aluminium cans, 47 shoes and 851 pieces of plastic remnants.  The haul also included a pool pump, building materials and 157 pieces of polystyrene. All the rubbish collected was disposed of appropriately after the event.

Participants were joined by Vuk Malobabic, General Manager, Norwegian Spirit, and Brent Hill, CEO of Tourism Fiji who told us, “At Tourism Fiji we know how important our pristine environment is, and we’re doing all we can to keep it that way. We want to continue to involve tourists in our sustainability initiatives, introduce activities that are fun, and at the same time contribute towards protecting our environment. We’re very grateful to NCL and Take 3 for the Sea for this initiative as we aim to keep tourism sustainable”. 

The previous week Take 3 for the Sea ran a workshop in Nadi for the Fijian tourism industry as part of its innovative Ground Swell litter prevention program. The event was funded by a Qantas regional grant and hosted by Tourism Fiji. Jenny-Lee Scharnboeck, Take 3 for the Sea’s Head of Business Development commented, “It was great to bring the Fijian tourism industry sectors together to discuss the problem with plastics and litter, and workshop solutions to address these challenges together”. 

Take 3 for the Sea CEO, Jacquie Riddell said, “Our collaboration with NCL and Tourism Fiji is a fantastic example of corporate environmental leadership! Events such as this clean-up series are raising awareness about the impact of plastic pollution on the environment, and highlighting how we can all do our bit, big or small, to support our oceans to be free from plastic pollution. We are thrilled to be rolling this initiative out with our Pacific neighbours, starting with beautiful Fiji. Unfortunately, plastic pollution is a global problem, and it requires global solutions. Take 3 for the sea is proud to lead a movement of people taking human sized actions, doing what they can wherever they are to contribute to the solution. It is very exciting to have Fiji onboard to grow this initiative.” 

Take 3 for the Sea and NCL plan to strengthen and extend their collaboration, and NCL has already committed to sponsor the annual Take 3 for the Sea CEO Clean Up event in Sydney on 27 September 2024. 

 

About Tourism Fiji  

Tourism Fiji is the destination marketing organisational arm of the Fijian Government agency responsible for marketing Fiji as the ideal destination for leisure travel globally. Tourism Fiji has established a presence in seven key markets around the globe, and its activities include advertising, public relations, media initiatives, trade shows, and programs for the tourism industry and consumer promotions to better showcase Fiji. 

  

About Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)  

As the innovator in global cruise travel, NCL has been breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising for 57 years. Most notably, the cruise line revolutionised the industry by offering guests the freedom and flexibility to design their ideal holiday on their preferred schedule with no assigned dining and entertainment times and no formal dress codes. Today, its fleet of 19 contemporary ships sail to over 450 of the world’s most desirable destinations, including Great Stirrup Cay, the company’s private island in the Bahamas and its resort destination Harvest Caye in Belize. NCL not only provides superior guest service from land to sea, but also offers a wide variety of award-winning entertainment and dining options as well as a range of accommodation across the fleet, including solo-traveller staterooms, minisuites, spa-suites and The Haven by Norwegian®, the company’s ship-within-a-ship concept. For additional information or to book a cruise, contact a travel professional, call NCL in Australia on 1300 255 200 or in New Zealand on 0800 969 283 or visit www.ncl.com. For the latest news and exclusive content, visit the media centre and follow Norwegian Cruise line on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube @NorwegianCruiseLineAUNZ; and Twitter @CruiseNorwegian. Norwegian Cruise Line is a wholly owned subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: NCLH). To learn more, visit www.nclhltd.com