Find Tourism and Travel partners in Solomon Islands

Overview

Estimates from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) state that tourism contributes 13.3% of GDP both directly and indirectly to the Solomon Islands (2011). The WTTC ranks the country 57th out of 181 countries in terms of relative contribution of tourism to the economy, only 0.7% below the world average. The sector is also estimated to support directly and indirectly over 12,000 jobs, representing 11.6% of total employment in the country (2011). This is expected to fall in the short term but then rise by 3.1% per annum over the next decade (WTTC estimate). Visitor exports generated around 13.5% of total exports in 2011 according to the WTTC. The Solomon Islands received 21,000 visitors in 2010.

Investment

The Solomon Islands has carved out a niche for itself in diving tourism and is an extremely popular destination with divers. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism is responsible for the development of the country’s tourism sector and promoting the islands internationally as a tourist destination. The Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau also promotes the country internationally through its Visit Solomon Islands website. The focus of tourism advertising is on active pursuits such as fishing, cycling, diving, kayaking and surfing. The waterfalls and active volcanoes are also points of interest for tourists, as are the three species of turtle, dolphins and World War II history. Given this focus on outdoor and active tourism there is scope for investment in ecotourism which is not currently advertised on the tourist board website.  

Investment in the travel and tourism industry was SBD71.8mn in 2011, constituting 7.6% of total investment.  This was expected to rise by 3.1% in 2012, and then continue to rise by 4.6% pa over the following ten years, reaching SBD116.4mn by 2022.