A meeting was held on Thursday to push for a more coordinated approach to hosting and showcasing national events that offer outside attractions and lure tourists.
The face to face meeting was organised by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT), in partnership with Tourism Solomons (TS) and local event organisers.
The meeting was held at the Tourism Solomons conference room in Honiara.
Government, through MCT and with support from commercial partners, backs events by providing a solid foundation to build a more structured, coordinated and market-ready approach to event promotion aimed at delivering greater benefits.
Speaking to the Solomon Star, Fiona Teama, Head of Marketing at Tourism Solomons, said a primary challenge discussed at the meeting was the lack of confirmed dates and consistent scheduling from event organizers, which hinders effective marketing to international media, wholesalers and travel agents.
She said the meeting emphasized the need for firm dates in the annual calendar and the importance of consistency for yearly events.
“Over the years, we have this ongoing challenge of getting dates confirmed because any successful marketing or promotional run roll outs, depends of the timing of how you plan to roll it out because we work with a lot of international media, wholesalers and travel agents,” Teama said.
“But if the event dates are not confirmed, then they cannot work with us,” she added.
Teama said organizers need to confirm their event dates as the 2026 annual calendar of events is set to be launched.
She also highlighted the need for consistency, noting that some events promoted as annual do not take place every year.
“Some events that are said to be annual do not happen every year,” she said. “This makes it hard to promote and market them.
“Once we start introducing a particular event in market through media, wholesalers and travel agents, and then drop then them, we lose out the opportunities,” Teama added.
She said Tourism Solomons appreciates the growth seen in the country’s events across culture, music, sports and other special categories.
“We’ve seen the rise of mice market,” Teama said. “Our meetings and conferences happening mostly here in Honiara, so that is where Tourism Solomons come in to support.”
Event organizers also shared their challenges and discussed areas where MCT and TS can provide support.
By AGNES MENANOPO
Solomon Star, Honiara
