BY GEORGINA KEKEA
AS part of the Solomon Islands Tourism Quality Standards programme, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Tourism Division) is launching a code of practice for the Tourism sector.
The code of practice is an adaption of a version developed by the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO).
Distributed during the ‘Tourism in Focus’ forum, the code of practice is to improve awareness of key issues facing the development of tourism in Solomon Islands. Also this code of practice is said to inspire action and make commitment by stakeholders to positive change.
The main aim of the code of practice is to make sure that tourists receive the best possible service. Another aim of the code is to inspire everyone involved in tourism towards higher standard and thirdly to make sure and enhance the reputation of Solomon Islands as a tourism destination.
The code is a list of recommendations that covers service, quality, ethical and sustainability aspects of tourism business. More so it is a set of values which everyone involved in the tourism sector should work hard to uphold.
This code of practice is said to come about because of the lack of quality standards and professionalism in the tourism sector. The tourism industry in the country is said to have great potential but remains underdeveloped.
The tourism division hopes to ensure the best possible service for tourists in order to be competitive with our neighbouring countries through the code of practice. The tourism division says the ‘code of practice’ for the tourism industry are often used by national tourism organisations to inspire everyone involved in tourism towards higher standards.
The code will be distributed through a number of channels which the tourism division uses to engage in the tourism sector. This will be done in conjunction with other parts of the SI Tourism Quality Standard Programme, such as the minimum standards and classification programme and tourism training held by tourism division staff.
