SIVB opens trade exchange event for International holiday buyers
Minister for Culture and Tourism Bartholomew Parapolo, his PS Andrew Nihopara and SIVB Director Barney Sivoro meeting some of the Solomon Islands sellers today.
Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau has today opened its trade exchange event for Solomon Islands’ Sellers and International holiday buyers.
The SIVB Trade exchange named ” Mi Save Solo” is an annual event with this year being the second time for it to be held in Honiara.
SIVB Marketing Manager, Freda Unusi explained,the event is an opportunity for sellers in the country to meet with international buyers and discuss their products with them, where they buyers can provide packages to the sellers market oversea.
“This is a tourism trade mat where by oversea wholesalers of holiday can come and talk with local sellers, especially those who have accommodations in the country and other tour activities, so that the oversea holiday sellers can market the local products oversea.
“Our aim is to provide opportunity for local sellers to market their holiday products at oversea markets, so we are giving opportunities for oversea buyers to come and sell the packages for local sellers,” Mrs Unusi said.
The sellers in the country include hotel operators, resorts and other tourism attracting products in the country like eco-tourism.
Dorin Sam of the Sanalae Apartments talking to some buyers.
Mrs Unusi said, this year, twenty-one international buyers are here from Australia, Japan, Taiwan, China and Papua New Guinea.
While opening the Mi Save Solo trade exchange this year, Minister of Culture and Tourism, Honourable Barthomew Parapolo said the tourism industry has gone through simple transformation for the last forty years and encourages pursuing new agendas for the industry from now onward.
“This is a dawn of new beginning for Solomon Islands Tourism Industry as we welcome the new face in our young life. The next forty years we are pleased to share our forty years birthday with all of you our very special friends to our country”, Mr Parapolo said.
“Ladies and Gentlemen our industry is going through a period of simple transformation where we are trying to let go of issues that have held us back in the past forty years and pursue with force of transformation agenda that will shape our destination in the next forty years.”
He added, the hosting of the Mi save solo event is the beginning of the new agenda.
The opening ceremony was held at Coral Sea Resort this morning.
By: Allen Waitara