Solomon Islands welcomes increase in tourists
Posted August 7, 2009 , add a comment- Solomon Airlines moves forward in Australia
- Solomon Islands prime minister wants more tourists
- Solomon Islands: Small but not terrible during rough economic times
- Solomon Islands authorities receive bomb detection training
- Air Niugini and Solomon Airlines settle dispute and ink new code-sharing deal
- New airline plans amphibian flights
- Masked man holds up tourist bus near airport
- Aussie airline enters Solomon Islands market
By
Charles Kereau, eTN Staff Writer |
Aug 07, 2009
HONIARA (eTN) - Solomon Islands is seeing a steady increase in the number of visitor arrivals in the second quarter of 2009. The latest figure released by the Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau (SIVB) indicated an 8 percent increase to 4,832 compared to the same period last year.
SIVB general m anager Michael Tokuru said visitor arrivals for the first six months of 2009 between January and June grew by 23 percent to 8,805. He said the majority of the visitors were on a business trip. “Fort-three percent of visitors came for business and conference, 26 percent for holiday and vacation, and the rest came to visit friends and relatives, transit, and other business,” he said.
SIVB said those who came for business and conferences grew by 12 percent, while visitors who came for holiday and vacation dropped by 5 percent in the second quarter of 2009.
Australia made up 51 percent of the arrivals, followed by New Zealand, which accounted for 7 percent and USA five percent. More than 20 countries made up the rest.
Visitors from Australia grew by 48 percent in the second quarter of 2009 compared with the same period in 2008.
“In spite of the current global economic downturn affecting both the global and regional tourism, the growth in visitors’ arrivals to Solomon Islands as shown in the second quarter and the first six months of 2009 is welcoming,” Mr. Tokuru said. “We are optimistic the number of visitors coming for holiday and vacation will pick up again in the third quarter of 2009.”
In other related tourism developments, Solomon Islands Tourism Minister Seth Gukuna said that his ministry will sponsor more students to undertake the certificate course at country’s Highest tertiary schools, the Solomon Islands College of Higher Education (SICHE).
Mr. Gukuna said the sponsorship is part of the ministry’s ongoing assistance towards the tourism and hospitality school, which opened earlier this year and the first of its kind in Solomon Islands.
Currently, the ministry is sponsoring 10 of the 33 students enrolled this year.
Mr. Gukuna said that as part of short-term training, the ministry plans to hold five courses this year, which will cater for existing tourism operators. He added that last year the tourism ministry conducted seven courses in hospitality and tourism training.
Mr. Gukuna said, however, that the tourism industry “still got a long way to go before reaching the expected standard of service.”
According to him, finance is currently the main constraint that slows down the progress of this industry. But, he said everything takes time before reaching the standard everyone wants.
Government has allocated about US$700,000 under its development budget for tourism and other related developments in this area.
Expert: Ferry disaster can deter tourists from visiting Tonga
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Aug 07, 2009
A regional tourism expert has warned it would be “tragic” if the ferry disaster which may have claimed 60 lives in Tonga deters tourists from visiting the island nation.
The country’s inter-island ferry, the Princess Ashika, sunk 86km from the capital Nuku’alofa just before midnight on Wednesday with 117 people on board.
Rescue boats have picked up 53 survivors and the bodies of two people, including Briton Daniel Macmillan, who had been living in New Zealand.
Hopes are fading for the remaining 62 passengers, most of whom were are women and children who were sleeping on lower decks indoors when the boat became unbalanced and rolled quickly.
The country’s prime minister Fred Sevele has called it a “huge tragedy” for Tonga: “It’s a very sad day … it’s big for a small place.”
New Zealand Tourism Research Institute director Simon Milne, who is in Tonga to meet with tourism heads, said the fragile industry was likely to be hit hard by the disaster.
“Like so many places in the Pacific, Tonga had been feeling the brunt of the global economic recession,” Milne said from the island group of Ha’apai, where the rescue operation is centred.
“People had been feeling like they could overcome it but this is another blow, a tragic setback they really didn’t need.”
Inter-island ferries are not commonly used by tourists, most of whom opt to fly between Tonga’s three island groups, Tongatapu, Ha’apai and Va’vau.
The Princess Ashika was the only boat servicing the islands and had been purchased from Fiji two months ago after the aged Olovaha, in use since the 1980s, developed engine troubles.
The vessel was to be a stopgap until a new Japanese-built ferry was delivered in 2011.
Pesi Fonua, editor of Matangi Tonga newspaper, said many locals had a “bad feeling” about the boat as it had broken down several times during its initial attempts to relocate to Tonga.
Passenger reports suggest in this case the timber cargo on board had shaken loose in rough seas, shifting the balance of the boat and quickly up-ending it.
But Sevele said the official cause was not yet known and stressed the vessel had passed safety inspections and was found to be suitable for insurance.
“We were quite satisfied according to the reports we got before we actually paid for the ship,” he said.
Meanwhile, three vessels resumed the search on Friday for those still missing, but search and rescue mission coordinator John Dickson said hopes of finding people alive were fading.
“Clearly survival rates after this length of time are of concern, but we remain hopeful of finding more survivors,” he said.
La Jolla Cove, San Diego, California
Posted , add a commentWho needs Australia, (Hawaii, Belize, Mexico, fill in the blank beautiful beach) when you can have the relative ease of La Jolla Cove? Sandwiched between striking sandstone cliffs, this small cove is one of the most photographed beaches in Southern California.
View from above. http://www.flickr.com/photos/87938933@N00/3542444107/
And it’s no wonder really. La Jolla Cove is stunning: bright blue water set against white cliffs, palm trees, scuba divers (water visibility is known to exceed 30 feet!), swimmers, sunbathers. Pelicans fly overhead while Harbor Seals smile contentedly, fat spotted bellies spread flat against hot sand.
After the fog burns off. http://www.flickr.com/photos/chizhang/3595775317/
It’s the scenery for which postcards are made, engagement photos, Enya songs. On the cliffs overhead ground squirrels fairly scamper about brazenly, much to the amusement of tourists who feed them bits of Starbucks petite vanilla scones.
Nom nom nom. http://www.flickr.com/photos/55963607@N00/468027979/
The official address for La Jolla Cove is 1100 Coast Boulevard, but you can also find it by looking beneath Scripps Park. The cove is within walking distance to the downtown hamlet of La Jolla, a coastal community chock full of swank restaurants, bars, tony stucco houses and seaside shops.
Due to the popularity of La Jolla Cove, lifeguards are stationed year-round. “Swimming devices” (surfboards, boogie boards, even inflatable mattresses) are not permitted at the cove, and this rule is carefully enforced by the lifeguards, specifically the part defined as the Ecological Reserve. There is no disabled access at La Jolla Cove because of the steep incline down to the beach. Additionally, there are no parking lots, and street parking (metered during the week) fills up quickly on summer weekends. It’s best to come early, park downtown in one of the paid lots, or stroll down to the beach from the palm-lined streets above.
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Posted , add a comment) Netflights invites you to beat the British summertime blues with an exclusive offer of up to £150 off hotel prices with every flight booked online.
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Bikinis and Boardies in 2009
Posted , add a commentSwimwear 2009 themes are giving me a serious flashback to the beach style in Sydney, Australia when I lived there in the late 80s / early 90s. Australia, mecca to surfers and beach culture, is the birthplace of major surf labels like Mambo, Billabong and Rip Curl, to name just a few. I loved, loved, loved the fluoro (neon) colors an was particularly fond of anything in the orange spectrum, as well as the bold and simple patterns. But, like all reinvented fashion, garish neon colors have been modernized with sophisticated, and sometimes restrained, color palettes and combined with edgy design elements.
For women, triangle tops remain a staple, but updated with punky patterns and colors like Roxy’s Venice Beach Tiki Tri Bikini.
Bandeau tops, a classic 1950s silhouette, take on an edgy twist with look-at-me elements juxtaposed with elegant color palettes like Seafolly’s Bardot bandeau, and Insight’s Skywalker Bikini.
Bikini by Insight
And the full piece, once the suit of choice for those preferring modesty, is looking much sexier than the bikini these days with midriff cut outs and bold graphics like Volcom’s Knotty One Piece.
Men traditionally have had less selection on shape (it’s a choice of either speedos or boardies, unfortunately) have much more variation with strong graphical elements like chevrons, circles and stripes, even mish-mashed together, offer variation such as the Reef Technic Boardshort, which I find just plain fun to look at.
I especially love how the colors and cut of these Insight Retro Stud Mid Boardshorts work together for a modern take on a 1960s length.
As a photographer, boardies with photo transfers are my personal favorite, as seen here with the masculine design of Rusty’s Smoke Em 20, which reminds me of Donald Sultan’s large format smoke ring photographs.
Boardies by Rusty
