Page 21 - IB June 2017

Tourism

The (Air Niugini) board has decided that

we start operating into China. This is in
line with the PNG Government’s decision
‘ to develop our tourism industry ‘

- Air Niugini CEO Simon Foo

Above, left: Miss South Pacific Annie Dunn with representatives of SPTE in Sydney. Above, right: Air Niugini CEO Simon Foo says other airlines and countries will benefit from
its China agreement. Photo: Invictus. Photos: Invictus.
erates charter flights to Shanghai for port, Port Vila, at a cost of $USD47million. Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau Mar-
inbound tour operator Rosie Holidays. “We’re very excited,” Kalfabun said af- keting Manager, Freda Unusi, said the
Air Niugini’s foray into China will mean ter the two-day SPTE at the International industry needed people who were pas-
additional visitors to the region, not only Convention Centre. sionate about maintaining the quality of
Papua New Guinea. “The world knows that Vanuatu is open the destination.
Tourism Vanuatu marketing manager, for business and we’ve been able to show “In terms of world tourism we may be
Alan Kalfabun, said the new flights were what’s on offer and that’s gone down re- small but this is a definite niche - clean
a huge encouragement for national and ally well with the buyers. I’d say this has and relaxing,” Unusi said.
regional tourism operators. been a successful event for us.” “That’s a definite seller for us and if we
“The more flights we have the greater A total of 111 sellers from 17 member are to keep our country beautiful we’ll
the potential for the market,” Kalfabun countries of SPTO attended the SPTE to need visitors who care for the environ-
said. meet and brief 79 buyers from as far ment.”
“Once we attract visitors to one destina- away as Europe, United States of America, Unusi said the Solomon Islands would
tion in the Pacific there is an opportunity Canada, China, South Korea and Australia use it’s position as the country with the
for them to visit another country or even and New Zealand on the tourism products cleanest air to promote sustainable tour-
two on the same visit.” of the South Pacific. ism.
Vanuatu attended the SPTE with hotel While the number of buyers attending A Global Health Observatory 2017 re-
and tour opearators alongside the national the SPTE dropped slightly compared to the port released by the World Health Organi-
airline in a show of force not seen before Gold Coast event last year, the quality of sation revealed the country had the lowest
the devastation of Cyclone Pam in 2015. overseas delegates was very high. concentrations of “fine particular matter in
It was an all-out effort to show that the And that was an important factor for urban areas” in its air in the world.
country is open for business and all has many of the smaller destinations including The Solomons had a rating of 5.0, ahead
returned to normal. the Solomon Islands which was recently of New Zealand (5.2), New Brunei Darus-
A week earlier Vanuatu had announced voted the country with the cleanest air in salam (5.4) and Australia (5.nn).
the signing of a contract to refurbish all the world by the World Health Organisa-
facilities at Bauerfield International Air- tion. r netrika66@gmail.com

Islands Business, May 2017 21