GOVERNMENT’S seriousness into kick starting the gateway project initiated by local tourism training company, Solomon Host, and Brisbane based video production firm, Torn Parachute, was sealed this week.
This came following the signing of a service agreement by the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Tourism and Culture, John Wasi.
The gateway project involves displaying of important pictorial and informative statements via plasma screens to the travelling public at the arrival and departure lounges of the international airport.
With Mr Wasi’s eventual signing of the service agreement, Torn Parachute will begin shooting videos for tourism department.
The service agreement entails the guidelines of the project and the anticipated outcomes of the same.
Speaking during the signing, Mr Wasi acknowledged that country needs “aggressive promotion” to boost the tourism sector.
He further acknowledged the gateway project as a ‘big plus for tourism’.
He added that the project is important for tourism as the plasma screens will display videos that will become the “first line of impression to our visitors”.
Mr Wasi stated that the project would also assist in the area of maintaining the important efforts of enforcing the country’s laws.
He also acknowledged Torn Parachute for “shouldering this task”, adding that the company’s involvement in the project is highly appreciated.
Also present during the signing was Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Moses Tepai, who described the gateway project as “another step for improving airport services”.
“Hopefully, it will have impact on our tourism,” Mr Tepai added.
Mr Tepai hailed Solomon Host and Torn Parachute for coming up with the initiative and for taking the lead in implementing it.
“Tourism is driven by the private sector, government is only here to facilitate,” Mr Tepai added.
Speaking on behalf of Torn Parachute and Solomon Host, the latter’s CEO Joyce Konofilia thanked the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for being the first stakeholder to give its approval for the project to get off the ground.
“I’m sincerely grateful and thankful to PS Wasi and US Tepai for showing the leadership and commitment to ensure the project goes into the implementation stage,” Ms Konofilia acknowledged.
Ms Konofilia added that her team will look forward to work with the tourism department in the coming days to create appropriate visual information for tourists entering and departing our shores.