Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, Founding Chairman, Al Habtoor Group held talks with Fijian President George Konrote at the Habtoor Grand Resort, Autograph Collection in early November 2016.
President Konrote was in Dubai as part of an official regional tour. His Excellency Konrote look up his post as President of Fiji in November 2015. Before that he was a Major-General in the Fijian military. He is well acquainted with the Middle East having commanded a peacekeeping effort in Lebanon during the Fiji's UNIFIL campaign. He was appointed Deputy Force Commander of the UNIFIL operation, and eventually became the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Force Commander in Lebanon.
The President and Chairman Al Habtoor discussed potential investment opportunities in Fiji, particularly in the hospitality sector. The President informed the Al Habtoor Group Chairman about the lack of available hotel rooms in Fiji. He said there are currently around 30,000 hotel rooms in the country, which is not enough to meet demand.
“It was a pleasure to meet President George Konrote,” said Khalaf Al Habtoor. “We are always looking at expanding our hospitality portfolio. We now have a total of 14 hotels; seven in the United Arab Emirates and seven abroad - in the United Kingdom, United States, Lebanon, Austria and Hungary.”