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** Breaking News** The Mole speaks directly with the Solomon Island Visitors Bureau
In a call at 9:00am this morning AEST to Karen Foimua, the Marketing Manager for the Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau, The Mole was able to obtain first hand information to assist with providing travel agents and consumers with accurate information, avoiding some of the rhetoric and misinformation that could damage the Solomon’s tourism industry.
Karen told The Mole that in the greater part of the Solomon Islands it was business as usual with tourism properties, hotels and resorts not affected.
She added, Marovo Lagoon Resorts are all OK and it is business as usual at these resorts, although the areas that are affected are Munda and Gizo and those areas and businesses remain closed with damage to infrastructure, hotels and guest houses in Gizo and surrounds.
Karen will be updating The Mole with further information about Gizo and Munda as it becomes available, but she did confirm that as far as the SIVB was aware there were no reports of tourists being involved in the impact of the earthquake or tsunami.
There are unconfirmed reports regarding a missing New Zealander.
In all the remainder of the Solomon Islands it is business as usual with the airport in Honiara open as usual – it did not close at any time, with all flights operating normally.
Gizo airport is closed but Munda airport has apparently re-opened.
Karen confirmed that the Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau was going ahead with all its marketing plans, promotional activities and campaigns and asked the Australia and New Zealand tourism and travel industry to please recognise that a small part of the Solomon Islands tourism industry and product has been affected.
While the DFAT travel advisory to the Solomon Islands has been reissued to include information about the earthquake and tsunami, Karen reported that there were no issues whatsoever in terms of security and that the Solomon Islands were safe and secure places to visit.
She also appealed to the Australia and New Zealand travel and tourism industry to keep backing them and keep booking clients, confirming that they were talking to tour operators so that they can put everything back together in the areas affected as speedily as possible.
A Solomon Islands Special Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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