BY SAMIE WAIKORI
The newly upgraded Raiders Hotel in Tulagi, Central Islands Province, officially opened on Friday last week.
This marks a significant boost for the tourism sector in the province, adding to the recently opened Double Islands Hotel.
The redevelopment of Raiders Hotel highlights the growing role of partnerships between local and international investors in supporting tourism development in Solomon Islands.
Raiders Hotel was initially owned by former MP for Ngella Constituency, Bartholomew Parapolo, before it was later taken over by a couple from New Zealand. The hotel is now owned by Taiwanese investor Mao Fong Lin.
Since taking over the property a few years ago, Mr Lin has carried out major upgrades and expansion works on the facility at an estimated cost of $15 million. This includes a $1.8 million grant from the national government through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT).
The upgraded facility now offers 21 rooms with about 26 beds, as well as a conference room, kitchen, bar and dining facilities. The hotel also provides logistics support and tourism activities such as diving.
Currently, Raiders Hotel employs 10 local staff, with the number expected to increase as the business continues to expand.
“We’ve come from Taiwan to Solomon Islands to invest in tourism so we can create employment opportunities for local people,” Mr Lin said.
He also thanked the national government through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Central Islands Provincial Government, landowners and other stakeholders for supporting the project.
Minister for Culture and Tourism Choylin Douglas congratulated the shareholders, directors and management of Raiders Hotel on the successful completion of the upgrade.
“The commitment to improving and expanding this facility demonstrates the strong confidence we have in the future of tourism in our country,” she said.
She added that the upgrades have significantly improved the standard of tourism facilities not only in Tulagi and Central Islands Province but also in Solomon Islands as a whole.
The minister also reaffirmed the government’s commitment, through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, to continue working with local and international partners to promote the growth of tourism in the country.
Photo credit: Samie Waikori
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