Wilson Maelaua, once a top soccer player and coach, aims to bring one of the most important elements of the sport to making tourism a winner.
Teamwork is crucial, Maelaua, new president of the Solomon Islands Tourism Industry Association (SITIA), said after his election.
Maelaua told the well attended annual meeting hosted by the Honiara Hotel, Chinatown, that everyone in the industry, big and small, must work together.
They must build the seven As which he said are crucial for tourism success. That’s Access, Accommodation, Attractions, Activities, Amenities, Awareness and Alliances.
Maelaua’s election and the enthusiastic revival of the national tourism association are yet another indication of the new Solomons emphasis on tourism growth.
Maelaua brings plenty of experience to his new role.
He is a former general manager of Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau, its current deputy chairperson and one of the most prominent indigenous tourism operators.
He is managing director of his own Honiara-based Destinations Solomons Travel and Tours and is planning a small resort back home in Malaita. Maelaua talks positively about the potential for tourism and it is a view shared at the highest levels.
Prime Minister Derek Sikua and his Government are giving priority to tourism because it meets three important national needs. These are:
• As logging declines, tourism helps overcome the loss of foreign exchange, government revenue and rural employment the controversial loggers provided.
• As the government emphasises rural development, tourism lifts economic activity, opportunities and development outside Honiara.
• As the number of young unemployed grows, tourism provides jobs in both Honiara, the capital, and the provinces.
December began with positive signs for the Solomons despite the global economic crisis.
Australian low-cost airline Virgin Blue’s international offshoot Pacific Blue was launching Brisbane-Honiara-Brisbane flights. This put Solomon Islands on the Virgin marketing and reservations network.
Another Australian airline, fast growing SkyAirWorld, and partners were preparing to put money into reopening the once internationally known Anuha island resort, a short plane ride from Honiara. They were at same time negotiating to secure an island off Munda in the Western Province for another resort.
Papua New Guinea’s Lamana Developments pushed ahead developing its Heritage Park Hotel in central Honiara. It will be a major and much needed addition to the Honiara upmarket accommodation scene.
And Solomon Islands Resorts, the country’s biggest hotel operator, was also putting money into development. Its King Solomon Hotel, in central Honiara, was getting more rooms. Its new purpose-built local cruise boat was operating from its Gizo Hotel in the Western Province.
Opportunity knocks for FlexPacific
In the beginning, FlexPacific was a one-man start-up company, set up in 2007 by Stephen Breen to distribute Digicel Flex cards to the people of the Pacific Islands.
Based in Papua New Guinea, Breen started from scratch, selling Flex cards in partnership with the street vendors.
The launch of the hugely successful Village Store concept represented a drive to bring Digicel airtime to the country’s rural residents, who often struggled to access the new form of communication available to them.
This understanding of people’s desire to communicate with each other has fuelled the rapid growth of FlexPacific’s operations in PNG and beyond.
Now, as FlexPacific celebrates its one-year anniversary on December1, the organisation comprises 37 staff across three countries: PNG, Vanuatu and Fiji.
With a continuing focus on sourcing the most talented new team members, FlexPacific’s burgeoning recruitment drive represents opportunity in a time of global recession.
Moving forward, the rapid expansion of FlexPacific throughout the Pacific Islands is reflected in an expanding catchment area for potential new recruits.
By focusing on recruiting from within the Pacific, the company aims to benefit from local knowledge while at the same time promoting entrepreneurship and progress across the region.
In this way, the strengthening of FlexPacific’s internal structures is a collaborative effort, allowing the company to give something back to each country.
Ronald Pratap, FlexVanuatu Country Manager, notes the positive effects of this strategy in Vanuatu. “FlexPacific has given a tremendous opportunity to many people in Vanuatu those who never thought of generating money from their own household.
“This has contributed much towards the economic growth of a developing country such as Vanuatu. Females in interior villages have gained knowledge of business by just selling Flex cards, and experienced the real impact of money into their daily life. FlexPacific has not only boosted economic growth within Vanuatu but continues to focus on other countries which are still in a developing stage.”
The dynamic nature of the organisation offers employees the potential to grow with it, expanding their horizons through travel and gaining a wealth of experience in one of the world’s fastest-growing industries.
Because of the relative newness of mobile communications in the Pacific Islands, employees are given the chance to make a difference, both within their own communities and beyond.
This opportunity is especially exciting with regards to the many rural communities that are transformed by the advent of telecommunications access.
Niall Downey, responsible for Retail and Distribution in Fiji, reflects on this particularly rewarding aspect of his job. “We were the first sales team to land in the Yasawas and bring phones to the villages on the islands.
“One lady purchased a phone from the sales team and immediately rang her son in Iraq who she hadn’t spoken to in months. She got through straight away and talked away to her son crying with emotion. She couldn’t believe now that she could talk to her son from her very own kitchen.
For potential new recruits, possessing the right attitude is key. “We’re looking for entrepreneurial and hands-on professionals who are looking for a challenge,” said Breen.
FlexPacific is currently recruiting for Regional Sales Managers for PNG (in the Highlands, Momose, Central and New Guinea Islands regions) as well as other Pacific Islands countries.
There was optimism in the Solomons that the global economic crisis would not have a major impact on Solomons tourism. It could instead be an opportunity.
More than 40% of visitor arrivals come from Australia, according to the 2007 Solomon Islands International Visitor Survey. The only significant long-haul visitor groups were American and Japanese World War Two heritage groups.
There was hope that with the economic crisis and weaker Australian dollar, Australians would opt for cheaper holidays closer to home. The Solomons was well positioned to be a niche market player if that happened with its mix of fishing, diving, surfing, kayaking, cultural and eco-tourism attractions.
Pacific Blue (two Boeing 737-800s a week), SkyAirWorld (two E190s; one E170 a week) and Solomon Airlines (three B737-300s; one B737-800 a week) offered competitive fares from Australia. All were marketing the Solomons.
The biggest local worries included ensuring reliable same-day domestic connections between Honiara and the key Western Province tourism destinations airports at Gizo, Munda, Ramata and Seghe. This was not just because of grubby Honiara’s lack of attraction to tourists. But also because of the frequent lack of hotel accommodation in the city.
While Honiara has five main tourism-standard hotels already and the Heritage Park on the way, they are often short of rooms. This is because of regular regional conferences and workshops, large number of visitors on business, and rooms occupied on a semi-permanent basis. These were often taken up by consultants and others associated with the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).
But Maelaua also believes Honiara can be made a more attractive gateway for tourists going to and from the provinces. He would like to see the tourism industry promote community awareness of advantages tourism could also bring the city. And the need to clean up Honiara’s image as one of the less attractive capitals in the region.
The Solomons, he says, has many attractions. But it needs everyone working together to promote this, both overseas and back home, including Honiara. In other words, lots of teamwork.
— By Nina Ratulele
