BY INDY MAEALASIA
Minister for Culture and Tourism (MCT), Choylin Douglas has called for greater investment in tourism infrastructure, citing current accommodation shortages and the need to meet international standards for upcoming events.
Speaking in parliament yesterday in response to the Governor General’s Speech from the throne on April 24th 2025, Minister Douglas lauded the government and private sectors for successfully hosting several high-profile events and forums.
However, she stressed the need to develop new tourism products and to expand accommodation capacity to meet the growing demand.
“Currently, the country has just over 2,000 hotel rooms and more than 3,500 beds, but less than half of these meet international standards — this is not enough,” Minister Douglas
According to the Minister, the upcoming 54th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders’ meeting, scheduled for September has already fully booked all available hotels in Honiara.
“This should be awake up call for all of us” she said.
“If we want to host more meetings, incentives and events, we must invest in expanding our accommodation capacity.”
Douglas pointed out that hosting such events presents a significant opportunity to raise the country’s profile on the regional stage, potentially positioning the Solomon Islands as a top destination in the Pacific.
“I call on the government, corporate bodies, private sectors, partners and sporting institutions to collaborate and bid for more similar events,” she added.
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