MICRONESIA: Air Niugini Plane From Micronesia Lands In Water After Overshooting Runway.

An Air Niugini plane travelling from the Federated States of Micronesia to Papua New Guinea has landed in water after overshooting a runway on Friday morning.

All 36 passengers and 11 crew were rescued.

Air Niugini flight 73 is believed to have overshot the runway at Weno airport in Chuuk, Micronesia, where it was stopping over on the way from Pohnpei to Port Moresby.

PNG authorities are investigating the cause of the crash, which is currently unknown.

So far, we don't know why they went down, Chuuk airport manager Jimmy Emilio said.

Mr Emilio said officials noticed the plane had landed in the lagoon instead of the runway about 9.30am.

A on looker wrote on Facebook that he witnessed the crash from the airport in Chuuk.

It landed in the water about 160 yards or 145 metres off shore.

The plane floated long enough for the 36 passengers and 11 crew members to escape and be rescued by locals in their boats.

The Boeing 737 safely came to rest in the lagoon.

People in small boats were seen rescuing people from the plane before it began to sink.

An employee from a nearby hotel said he heard the plane coming in and thought it was a normal landing.

Then he went back to his workplace and looked from the rooftop, the plane was starting to go underwater.

It was sinking. It’s under water now, he said, while praising the impromptu rescue effort.

The plane crashed and in around five minutes the rescuers were there, they were ordinary people, because there are plenty of boats around the shore.

Air Niugini is PNG's national carrier which services domestic network and international routes across Australia, Asia and the Pacific.

Air Niugini Limited is the national airline of Papua New Guinea, based in Air Niugini House on the property of Jacksons International Airport, Port Moresby.

It operates a domestic network from Port Moresby and Lae, as well as international services in Asia, Oceania, and Australia. Its main base is Jacksons International Airport.

Niugini is the Tok Pisin word for New Guinea.

The airline was established in November 1973 as the national airline of Papua New Guinea with the government holding 60% of the shares, Ansett (16%), Qantas (12%) and Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) (12%).

It started as an exclusively domestic carrier; however it expanded to offer international services shortly thereafter. In founding the airline, the government aimed to encourage regional development in a country without an extensive road network.

The airline was established using DC-3 and Fokker F27 aircraft.

International services commenced very early on in the history of the airline with a leased Boeing 720 from 6 February 1976 to 2 February 1977. This was later replaced with a Boeing 707 purchased from Qantas.

During the late 1970s, internal services were performed by a combination of Fokker F28 jet and Fokker F27 turbo-prop aircraft. By the end of 1975 Air Niugini leased Boeing 727-200 type aircraft from Ansett and TAA to serve routes to Brisbane.

The airline also acquired a lease of a Boeing 707 from Qantas to commence a weekly service to Manila and Hong Kong. In 1976, the government bought out the Qantas and TAA holdings and in 1980 acquired the Ansett shares to make the airline wholly government owned.

The fleet of F-27s was phased out in the early 1980s with the introduction of the newly developed de Havilland Canada Dash 7 four-engine turbo-prop.

In 1979, Air Niugini opened routes to Honolulu and to Singapore via Jakarta. That same year, new facilities were opened at Jacksons Airport and new Sales Offices opened in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Europe and the United States.

Air Niugini operated their Boeing 707 from Auckland to Hong Kong via Port Moresby in a tripartite agreement with Air New Zealand and Cathay Pacific. This service ran from 1981 to 1985.

In 1984, the airline replaced the two Boeing 707 aircraft with an Airbus A300 on lease from TAA.

This was replaced several years later with two Airbus A310s as the carrier expanded to offer flights principally between Australian Eastern capital cities and destinations in Asia such as Singapore and Manila via their hub Port Moresby.

The airline endured considerable hardships in the 1990s, with unrest in Bougainville and a volcanic eruption in Rabaul destabilising the company's busiest domestic services.

The Asian currency crisis also made an impact, with Air Niugini posting financial losses during this decade. The government of Papua New Guinea responded by cutting jobs from the airline, suppressing wages, as well as opening offices in Asia and Europe in an attempt at having the airline run profitably.

Reforms bore fruit by 2003, with the airline posting a profit of US$15.8 million for that year.

A Boeing 767 was acquired in August 2002, replacing the Airbus aircraft, and was used to offer expanded international services. Combined with aggressive pricing, this made it the most competitively priced airline on many of its routes.

A sharing agreement still exists with Qantas in which that airline buys blocks of seats on Air Niugini's flights between Port Moresby and Australia.

The financial turnaround seems to have stymied pressure from various sectors, including the IMF and the Australian Government, to privatise the national carrier.

The PNG government has voiced concerns that privatisation would jeopardise domestic routes that provide a vital service to regional people and encourage economic development, but which fail to realise a profit.

From September 2004, Fokker 100s have been introduced to start to replace the aging Fokker F28 aircraft that are used on domestic routes, the daily Cairns service, and the twice a week service to Honiara in the Solomon Islands.

In March 2006, Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Don Polye announced an open air policy, which would allow other airlines to fly international routes into and from Papua New Guinea. The policy will take effect in 2007.

On December 2007, Air Niugini returned its leased Boeing 767 aircraft to its owners, Air New Zealand. The airline briefly entered a wet lease arrangement with Viva Macau before taking up a lease with Icelandair for a Boeing 767-300ER and a Boeing 757-200W.

The 757 was returned in March 2011 and replaced with two additional 767-300ER aircraft.

On 18 April 2008, flights commenced on the Sydney-Port Moresby route initially using leased Embraer 190 aircraft leased from SkyAirWorld of Australia.

On 15 October 2014, Air Niugini announced a wholly owned subsidiary airline company, Link PNG, which commenced operations on 1 November 2014 to coincide with Air Niugini’s 41 years of operation.

Link PNG principally services routes to provincial and district centres which were being operated by the Air Niugini Dash-8-Q200 and Q300 aircraft. 7 Fokker-70 aircraft were acquired (October 2015) from KLM and were transferred during Oct-Dec 2015.

Air Niugini has had a remarkable safety record insofar there has never been a fatal crash with flight crew members or passengers killed or even injured.

In 1973 when PNG gained independence, Pilots from the two airlines operating for the government were from Ansett Australia and Trans Australia Airlines. The majority of these pilots elected to return to these companies and continue their careers in Australia.

This left a huge shortage in the pilot strength of over 95% and consequently replacements were recruited from both Australia and New Zealand.

These pilots had little or no experience in airline operations and few if any skills or experience operating in the extremely hostile environs of PNG.

Nonetheless, they were trained by the outgoing pilots from Ansett and TAA and with the first class training behind them continued to provide safe and reliable services to all of PNG.

When Air Niugini took over the international routes then operated by Qantas, once again the senior pilots were called upon to convert from basic turbo prop aircraft (F27) to B707-338C 4-engine jet aircraft.

Considerable alarm was expressed that these jungle pilots could not possibly operate large jet aircraft hitherto flown by Qantas flight crews.

Again with excellent training and support from Qantas, the PX crews converted successfully to the venerable B707 and from there took over all the check and training on those two aircraft and continued thereafter to the various replacement aircraft being primarily A300-B4, A310-300, B757 and B767.

There were two crashes internally on the domestic operation with the total loss of one F28 aircraft and one DHC7, both due to pilot error. No deaths or injuries occurred in either crash.

On 28 September 2018, a Boeing 737-800 belonging to Air Niugini flew too low and fell short of the runway and landed in a shallow lagoon off Chuuk International Airport in Micronesia, without serious injury to passengers or crew.

Air Niugini operates to 25 domestic destinations and 14 international destinations in 10 countries across Asia and Oceania as of March 2017.

Air Niugini has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

- Qantas

- Solomon Airlines

The Air Niugini fleet consists of the following aircraft:

- Boeing 737-700 --- 1

- Boeing 737-800 --- 2

- Boeing 767-300ER --- 2

- Fokker 70 --- 8

- Fokker 100 --- 7

- Total --- 20

The Link PNG fleet consists of the following aircraft:

- Bombardier Dash 8-300 --- 4

- Bombardier Dash 8-200 --- 2

- Total --- 6

Classes of service Air Niugini offers 2 classes of service, Business Class and Economy Class.

Most domestic routes have Economy Class only, while all international routes offer both service classes, except for services to Cairns and selected afternoon services to Brisbane.

Food and beverage service Air Niugini offers food and beverages on almost all flights. On domestic routes, a snack and drink are served. On all international routes, a meal is served.

In-flight duty-free Air Niugini offers an in-flight Duty Free shop on all international flights.

Entertainment Air Niugini offers entertainment on selected international routes. Domestic flights, as well as flights to Cairns, Honiara, and Nadi, do not usually provide entertainment, but passengers to Brisbane, Kuala Lumpur, Sydney, Singapore, Manila, Hong Kong, and Tokyo are offered movies and a range of music.

Paradise magazine Paradise magazine, Air Niugini's in-flight magazine, is complimentary on most flights. The magazine, produced every 2 months, contains a range of Papua New Guinea information and stories, as well as Air Niugini details and route maps.

Executive Club is Air Niugini's lounge and affiliated privileges. 3 memberships, Blue Card, Green Card, and Corporate allow certain benefits to membership holders.

Blue Card memberships give advantages such as additional baggage allowance, advance seat selection, discounts on duty-free purchases, priority baggage handling, and domestic Paradise Lounge access.

Green Card memberships provide all Blue Card privileges as well as extra benefits such as international Lounge Access in Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Manila, Tokyo, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

Corporate memberships are made up of Blue and Green Cards.


Tourism Observer

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Visitor Arrivals To Solomon Islands Shoot Up To 29% In Q1 2018

Visitor arrivals to Solomon Islands were up 29% in Q1 2018 when compared to the same period in 2017.

The latest figures from the Solomon Islands National Statistics Office (SINSO) show international visitation increased from 4881 to 6296 with January (+33%), February (+13.5%) and March (36.3%) all showing positive growth.

Visitor arrivals to Solomon Islands were up 29% in Q1 2018 when compared to the same period in 2017.

The latest figures from the Solomon Islands National Statistics Office (SINSO) show international visitation increased from 4881 to 6296 with January (+33%), February (+13.5%) and March (36.3%) all showing positive growth.

Australian visitor arrivals continued to dominate.

The 2195 figure recorded for Q1 represents a 17.6% increase over the 1867 result achieved in 2017 and equals 34.8% of all international visitation.

A strong New Zealand result saw arrivals increase from 301 to 356, an 18.3%, firmly cementing the country in place as the second largest source of visitation.

Papua New Guinea and the US maintained their third and fourth positions, increasing 39.3% and 35%, respectively.


Tourism Observer

AUSTRALIA: South Pacific Tourism Organisation Launches New Website

Travelers interested in visiting the South Pacific are now able to access instant information on Pacific countries through the www.southpacificislands.travel site, launched at the 4th South Pacific Tourism Exchange in Sydney, Australia last month.

The new domain name linking the key words South Pacific islands and travel is the new home for the South Pacific Tourism Organisations (SPTO) revamped website reflecting the organization mandate as the regional agency responsible for marketing and developing tourism in the region.

The new look website has been developed in line with the new SPTO brand launched one year ago at the 26th Council of Tourism Ministers meeting in the Cook Islands reflecting the key message of “Ours is Yours’ which is also an invitation for the world to come and discover the South Pacific and share in what the region has to offer.

The website has also been tailored to meet the requirements of SPTO’s corporate clients in particular clients who work with SPTO to market the region to the world.

These clients will have access to the large database of accentuated Pacific images to assist them with doing their work, through the password protected area of the site.

The refreshed regional tourism website will strengthen SPTO’s capacity in a number of different areas, including regional destination marketing and servicing membership requirements and providing more information in the area of niche markets, SPTO Chief Executive Officer, Chris Cocker said.

It has been tailored specifically for the different types of clientele served by SPTO and we are excited that it has been launched and we are now live, so let us work together to make tourism happen in the region!” he added.

The site is expected to also boost the marketing efforts of SPTO member countries by providing visitors with access to specific pages on activities and tours available in the different countries and help them plan their trip by linking them directly to tour operators and destination websites.

The site has a specific portal for travel agents who choose to become South Pacific specialists where they can access training material for 16 Pacific Island destinations and for specific niche markets in the region. These niche markets include, weddings and honeymoons and diving.

Other aspects of the site include an interactive map of the Pacific with specific in country maps and links to all SPTO
Social media sites, as well as blogs on the region and latest news releases from SPTO.

About SPTO

Established in 1983 as the Tourism Council of the South Pacific, the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO)
is the mandated organisation representing Tourism in the region. Its 18 Government members are American Samoa,Cook Islands,Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia,Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and the People’s Republic of China.

In addition to government members, the South Pacific
Tourism Organisation enlists a private sector membership
base.

BOUGAINVILLE: Autonomous Bougainville Has One Of The World's Largest Copper Deposits

The Autonomous Region of Bougainville, previously known as the North Solomons Province, is an autonomous region in Papua New Guinea. The largest island is Bougainville Island (also the largest of the Solomon Islands archipelago), and the province also includes Buka Island and assorted outlying nearby islands including the Carterets.

The capital is temporarily Buka, though it is expected that Arawa will be the permanent provincial capital. The population of the province is 249,358 (2011 census).

Bougainville Island is ecologically and geographically part of the Solomon Islands archipelago but is not politically part of the nation of Solomon Islands. Buka, Bougainville, and most of the Solomons are part of the Solomon Islands rain forests ecoregion.

The island was named after the French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville, who made expeditions to the Pacific. He is also the namesake of the tropical flowering vines of the genus Bougainvillea.

In 1885, the island was taken over by a German administration as part of German New Guinea. Australia occupied it in 1914 during World War I. After the war the League of Nations designated it as a mandatory power and administered the island from 1918 until the Japanese invaded it in 1942 during World War II.

Australia took over administration of the island when that war ended in 1945, managing it until Papua New Guinea independence in 1975. Bougainville was appointed as a United Nations mandatory power, Australia having accepted dominion sovereignty under the Statute of Westminster 1931 in the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942 and therefore being formally empowered to do so.

It administered British and German New Guinea, but was not the official colonial power.

During World War II, the island was occupied by Australian, American and Japanese forces. It was an important base for the RAAF, RNZAF and USAAF.

On 8 March 1944, during the Pacific War, American forces were attacked by Japanese troops on Hill 700 on this island. The battle lasted five days, ending with a Japanese retreat.

The island is rich in copper and gold. A large mine was established at Panguna in the early 1970s by Bougainville Copper Limited, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto. Disputes by regional residents with the company over adverse environmental impacts, failure to share financial benefits, and negative social changes brought by the mine resulted in a local revival for a secessionist movement that had been dormant.

Activists proclaimed the independence of Bougainville (Republic of North Solomons) in 1975 and in 1990, but both times government forces suppressed the separatists.

In 1988, the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) increased their activity significantly. Prime Minister Sir Rabbie Namaliu ordered the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) to put down the rebellion, and the conflict escalated into a civil war.

The PNGDF retreated from permanent positions on Bougainville in 1990, but continued military action. The conflict involved pro-independence and loyalist Bougainvillean groups as well as the PNGDF. The war claimed an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 lives.

In 1996, Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan hired Sandline International, a private military company previously involved in supplying mercenaries in the civil war in Sierra Leone, to put down the rebellion. The Sandline affair was a controversial incident that resulted from use of these mercenary troops.

President John Momis confirmed that Bougainville will hold an independence referendum some time before 2020 once the region has resolved some remaining issues.

The governments of both Bougainville and Papua New Guinea have set a tentative date of June 15, 2019 for the vote, which is the final step in the Bougainville Peace Agreement.However, certain criteria on Bougainville's part must be met before any vote can occur, including having a viable economy and controlling the flow of illegal weapons.

The Bougainville conflict ended in 1997, after negotiations brokered by New Zealand. A peace agreement was completed in 2000 and, together with disarmament, provided for the establishment of an Autonomous Bougainville Government.

The parties agreed to have a referendum in the future on whether the island should become politically independent.

Elections for the first autonomous government were held in May and June 2005; Joseph Kabui, an independence leader, was elected President. He died in office on 6 June 2008.

After interim elections to fill the remainder of his term, John Momis was elected as president in 2010 for a five-year term. He supports autonomy within a relationship with the national government of Papua New Guinea.

On 25 July 2005 rebel leader Francis Ona died after a short illness. A former surveyor with Bougainville Copper, Ona was a key figure in the secessionist conflict and had refused to formally join the island's peace process.

In 2015 Australia announced it will establish a diplomatic post in Bougainville for the first time.

Bougainville has one of the world's largest copper deposits. This had been under development since 1972; one of its reserves has almost 915 million tonnes of copper with an average grade of 0.46% Cu. Mining and export of copper was the basis of the economy.

Each province in Papua New Guinea has one or more districts, and each district has one or more Local Level Government (LLG) areas. For census purposes, the LLG areas are subdivided into wards, and those into census units.

Bougainville has been headed by several different types of administration: a decentralised administration headed by a Premier as North Solomons Province from 1975 to 1990, an appointed administrator during the height of the Bougainville Civil War from 1990 to 1995, a Premier heading the Bougainville Transitional Government from 1995 to 1998, the co-chairmen of the Bougainville Constituent Assembly (1999), a Governor heading a provincial government as in other parts of Papua New Guinea (2000 to 2005) and the Autonomous Bougainville Government (since 2005).

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Visit Solomon Islands,Enjoy The Coral Reefs

The Solomon Islands are a South Pacific archipelago east of Papua New Guinea. They occupy a strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea.

Solomon Islands is a sovereign country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania lying to the east of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu and covering a land area of 28,400 square kilometres (11,000 sq mi). The country's capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal.

The country takes its name from the Solomon Islands archipelago, which is a collection of Melanesian islands that also includes the North Solomon Islands (part of Papua New Guinea), but excludes outlying islands, such as Rennell and Bellona, and the Santa Cruz Islands.

Britain defined its area of interest in the Solomon Islands archipelago in June 1893, when Captain Gibson R.N., of HMS Curacoa, declared the southern Solomon Islands as a British protectorate.During World War II, the Solomon Islands campaign (1942–1945) saw fierce fighting between the United States and the Empire of Japan, such as in the Battle of Guadalcanal.

The official name of the then British overseas territory was changed from "the British Solomon Islands Protectorate" to "Solomon Islands" in 1975. Self-government was achieved in 1976; independence was obtained two years later. Today, Solomon Islands is a constitutional monarchy with the Queen of Solomon Islands, currently Queen Elizabeth II, as its head of state. Manasseh Sogavare is the current prime minister.

The first European to visit the islands was the Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira, coming from Peru in 1568. The people of Solomon Islands were notorious for headhunting and cannibalism before the arrival of the Europeans.

Missionaries began visiting the Solomons in the mid-19th century. They made little progress at first, because "blackbirding" ,the often brutal recruitment or kidnapping of labourers for the sugar plantations in Queensland and Fiji led to a series of reprisals and massacres. The evils of the labour trade prompted the United Kingdom to declare a protectorate over the southern Solomons in June 1893.

In 1898 and 1899, more outlying islands were added to the protectorate; in 1900 the remainder of the archipelago, an area previously under German jurisdiction, was transferred to British administration, apart from the islands of Buka and Bougainville, which remained under German administration as part of German New Guinea. Traditional trade and social intercourse between the western Solomon Islands of Mono and Alu and the traditional societies in the south of Bougainville, however, continued without hindrance.

Missionaries settled in the Solomons under the protectorate, converting most of the population to Christianity. In the early 20th century several British and Australian firms began large-scale coconut planting. Economic growth was slow, however, and the islanders benefited little.

Commonly referred to as the tensions or the ethnic tension, the initial civil unrest was mainly characterised by fighting between the Isatabu Freedom Movement also known as the Guadalcanal Revolutionary Army and the Malaita Eagle Force (as well as the Marau Eagle Force). Although much of the conflict was between Guales and Malaitans, Kabutaulaka (2001 and Dinnen (2002) argue that the 'ethnic conflict' label is an oversimplification.

In late 1998, militants on the island of Guadalcanal began a campaign of intimidation and violence towards Malaitan settlers. During the next year, thousands of Malaitans fled back to Malaita or to the capital, Honiara which, although situated on Guadalcanal, is predominantly populated by Malaitans and Solomon Islanders from other provinces. In 1999, the Malaita Eagle Force (MEF) was established in response.

The reformist government of Bartholomew Ulufa'alu struggled to respond to the complexities of this evolving conflict. In late 1999, the government declared a four-month state of emergency. There were also a number of attempts at reconciliation but to no avail. Ulufa'alu also requested assistance from Australia and New Zealand in 1999 but his appeal was rejected.

In June 2000, Ulufa'alu was kidnapped by militia members of the MEF who felt that, although he was a Malaitan, he was not doing enough to protect their interests. Ulufa'alu subsequently resigned in exchange for his release. Manasseh Sogavare, who had earlier been Finance Minister in Ulufa'alu's government but had subsequently joined the opposition, was elected as Prime Minister by 23–21 over Rev. Leslie Boseto. However Sogavare's election was immediately shrouded in controversy because six MPs thought to be supporters of Boseto were unable to attend parliament for the crucial vote.

In October 2000, the Townsville Peace Agreement,[17] was signed by the Malaita Eagle Force, elements of the IFM, and the Solomon Islands Government. This was closely followed by the Marau Peace agreement in February 2001, signed by the Marau Eagle Force, the Isatabu Freedom Movement, the Guadalcanal Provincial Government, and the Solomon Islands Government. However, a key Guale militant leader, Harold Keke, refused to sign the agreement, causing a split with the Guale groups. Subsequently, Guale signatories to the agreement led by Andrew Te'e joined with the Malaitan-dominated police to form the 'Joint Operations Force'. During the next two years the conflict moved to the Weathercoast of Guadalcanal as the Joint Operations unsuccessfully attempted to capture Keke and his group.

New elections in December 2001 brought Sir Allan Kemakeza into the Prime Minister's chair with the support of his People's Alliance Party and the Association of Independent Members. Law and order deteriorated as the nature of the conflict shifted: there was continuing violence on the Weathercoast while militants in Honiara increasingly turned their attention to crime and extortion.

The Department of Finance would often be surrounded by armed men when funding was due to arrive. In December 2002, Finance Minister Laurie Chan resigned after being forced at gunpoint to sign a cheque made out to some of the militants. Conflict also broke out in Western Province between locals and Malaitan settlers. Renegade members of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) were invited in as a protection force but ended up causing as much trouble as they prevented.

The prevailing atmosphere of lawlessness, widespread extortion, and ineffective police prompted a formal request by the Solomon Islands Government for outside help. With the country bankrupt and the capital in chaos, the request was unanimously supported in Parliament.

In July 2003, Australian and Pacific Island police and troops arrived in Solomon Islands under the auspices of the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI). A sizeable international security contingent of 2,200 police and troops, led by Australia and New Zealand, and with representatives from about 20 other Pacific nations, began arriving the next month under Operation Helpem Fren.

Since this time some commentators have considered the country a failed state.However, other academics argue that rather than being a 'failed state', it is an unformed state: a state that never consolidated even after decades of independence.

In April 2006, allegations that the newly elected Prime Minister Snyder Rini had used bribes from Chinese businessmen to buy the votes of members of Parliament led to mass rioting in the capital Honiara. A deep underlying resentment against the minority Chinese business community led to much of Chinatown in the city being destroyed.

Tensions were also increased by the belief that large sums of money were being exported to China. China sent chartered aircraft to evacuate hundreds of Chinese who fled to avoid the riots. Evacuation of Australian and British citizens was on a much smaller scale. Additional Australian, New Zealand and Fijian police and troops were dispatched to try to quell the unrest. Rini eventually resigned before facing a motion of no-confidence in Parliament, and Parliament elected Manasseh Sogavare as Prime Minister.

2007 Solomon Islands earthquake and 2013 Solomon Islands earthquake

On 2 April 2007 at 07:39:56 local time an earthquake with magnitude 8.1 occurred at hypocenter S8.453 E156.957, 349 kilometres (217 miles) northwest of the island's capital, Honiara and south-east of the capital of Western Province, Gizo, at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).More than 44 aftershocks with magnitude 5.0 or greater occurred up until 22:00:00 UTC, Wednesday, 4 April 2007. A tsunami followed killing at least 52 people, destroying more than 900 homes and leaving thousands of people homeless.Land upthrust extended the shoreline of one island, Ranongga, by up to 70 metres (230 ft) exposing many once pristine coral reefs.

On February 6, 2013, an earthquake with magnitude of 8.0 occurred at epicentre S10.80 E165.11 in the Santa Cruz Islands followed by a tsunami up to 1.5 metres. At least nine people were killed and many houses demolished. The main quake was preceded by a sequence of earthquakes with a magnitude of up to 6.0.

Solomon Islands is an island nation that lies east of Papua New Guinea and consists of many islands: Choiseul, the Shortland Islands; the New Georgia Islands; Santa Isabel; the Russell Islands; Nggela (the Florida Islands); Malaita; Guadalcanal; Sikaiana; Maramasike; Ulawa; Uki; Makira (San Cristobal); Santa Ana; Rennell and Bellona; the Santa Cruz Islands and the remote, tiny outliers, Tikopia, Anuta, Fatutaka and Falkie Atoll.

The country's islands lie between latitudes 5° and 13°S, and longitudes 155° and 169°E. The distance between the westernmost and easternmost islands is about 1,500 kilometres (930 mi). The Santa Cruz Islands of which Tikopia is part are situated north of Vanuatu and are especially isolated at more than 200 kilometres (120 mi) from the other islands. Bougainville is geographically part of the Solomon Islands but politically part of Papua New Guinea. Falkie Atoll, which is closer to Bougainville that to Choiseul, is part of the Solomon Islands.

The islands' ocean-equatorial climate is extremely humid throughout the year, with a mean temperature of 26.5 °C (79.7 °F) and few extremes of temperature or weather. June through August is the cooler period. Though seasons are not pronounced, the northwesterly winds of November through April bring more frequent rainfall and occasional squalls or cyclones. The annual rainfall is about 3,050 millimetres (120 in).
Ecology

The Solomon Islands archipelago is part of two distinct terrestrial ecoregions. Most of the islands are part of the Solomon Islands rain forests ecoregion, which also includes the islands of Bougainville and Buka; these forests have come under pressure from forestry activities. The Santa Cruz Islands are part of the Vanuatu rain forests ecoregion, together with the neighbouring archipelago of Vanuatu. Soil quality ranges from extremely rich volcanic,there are volcanoes with varying degrees of activity on some of the larger islands to relatively infertile limestone. More than 230 varieties of orchids and other tropical flowers brighten the landscape.

The islands contain several active and dormant volcanoes. The Tinakula and Kavachi volcanoes are the most active.

The majority of Solomon Islanders are ethnically Melanesian (94.5%). Polynesian (3%) and Micronesian (1.2%) are the two other significant groups. There are a few thousand ethnic Chinese.

While English is the official language, only 1–2% of the population speak English. The lingua franca is Solomons Pijin.

The number of local languages listed for Solomon Islands is 74, of which 70 are living languages and 4 are extinct, according to Ethnologue, Languages of the World. Melanesian languages predominantly of the Southeast Solomonic group are spoken on the central islands.

Polynesian languages are spoken on Rennell and Bellona to the south, Tikopia, Anuta and Fatutaka to the far east, Sikaiana to the north east, and Luaniua to the north (Ontong Java Atoll, also known as Lord Howe Atoll). The immigrant population of Gilbertese (i-Kiribati) speaks a Micronesian language.

The religion of Solomon Islands is mainly Christian comprising about 92% of the population. The main Christian denominations are: the Anglican Church of Melanesia 35%, Roman Catholic 19%, South Seas Evangelical Church 17%, United Church in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands 11% and Seventh-day Adventist 10%. Another 5% adhere to aboriginal beliefs.

The remaining adhere to Islam, the Baha'i Faith, Jehovah's Witnesses, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). According to the most recent reports, Islam in the Solomon Islands is made up of approximately 350 Muslims, including members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

In the traditional culture of the Solomon Islands, age-old customs are handed down from one generation to the next, allegedly from the ancestral spirits themselves, to form the cultural values of the Solomon Islands.

Traditional Melanesian music in the Solomon Islands includes both group and solo vocals, slit-drum and panpipe ensembles. In the 1920s, bamboo music gained a following. In the 1950s, Edwin Nanau Sitori composed the song "Walkabout long Chinatown", which has been referred to by the government as the unofficial "national song" of the Solomon Islands.Modern Solomon Islander popular music includes various kinds of rock and reggae as well as island music.

Rugby Union is played in Solomon Islands. The Solomon Islands national rugby union team has been playing internationals since 1969. It took part in the Oceania qualifying tournament for the 2003 and 2007 Rugby World Cups, but failed to qualify on each occasion.

National teams in association football and the related futsal and beach soccer have proved among the most successful in Oceania. The Solomon Islands national football team is part of the OFC confederation in FIFA. They are currently ranked 184th out of 209 teams in the FIFA World Rankings. The team became the first team to beat New Zealand in qualifying for a play-off spot against Australia for qualification to the World Cup 2006. They were defeated 7–0 in Australia and 2–1 at home.

On 14 June 2008, the Solomon Islands national futsal team, the Kurukuru, won the Oceania Futsal Championship in Fiji to qualify them for the 2008 FIFA Futsal World Cup, which was held in Brazil from 30 September to 19 October 2008. Solomon Islands is the futsal defending champions in the Oceania region.

In 2008 and 2009 the Kurukuru won the Oceania Futsal Championship in Fiji. In 2009 they defeated the host nation Fiji, 8–0, to claim the title. The Kurukuru currently hold the world record for the fastest ever goal scored in an official futsal match. It was set by Kurukuru captain Elliot Ragomo, who scored against New Caledonia three seconds into the game in July 2009.They also, however, hold the less enviable record for the worst defeat in the history of the Futsal World Cup, when in 2008 they were beaten by Russia with two goals to thirty-one.

The Solomon Islands' beach soccer team, the Bilikiki Boys, are statistically the most successful team in Oceania. They have won all three regional championships to date, thereby qualifying on each occasion for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. The Bilikiki Boys are ranked fourteenth in the world as of 2010, higher than any other team from Oceania.

Islands

Choiseul
the northernmost area; includes the Treasury Islands and Shortland Islands as well as Choiseul itself
Florida and Russell Islands
Guadalcanal (Honiara)
the major island with the capital city and main airport
New Georgia Islands
New Georgia itself plus myriad tiny islands and atolls
Malaita
Renell and Bellona
San Cristobal
this island is also known as Makira
Santa Cruz Islands
tiny remote islands in the south east, closer to Vanuatu than to anywhere else in the Solomons
Santa Isabel
where the first European contact was made with the Solomon Islands

Cities

- Honiara Capital of the Solomon Islands - Guadalcanal Province
- Gizo Western Province
- Auki Malaita Province
- Noro New Georgia Island, Western Province
- Munda New Gerogia Island, Western Province
- Yandina Russell Islands, Central Province
- Tulagi Central Province
- Buala Santa Isabel, Isabel Province
- Kirakira Makira-Ulawa Province
- Lata Temotu Province
- Taro Choisel Province
- Tigoa Renell and Bellona Province

Entering Solomon Islands

Everyone needs a passport, onward ticket, and sufficient funds to cover their stay in the Solomon Islands.

Citizens of all European Union member states, plus Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Grenada, Guyana, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Monaco, Nauru, New Zealand, Norway, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Suriname, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, Uruguay and Vanuatu may obtain a visitor's permit valid for 3 months in a 12-month period on arrival.

Citizens of all other nations, with the exception of Belarus, Burundi, Ghana, Montenegro, Serbia, South Africa, South Sudan, Vatican City and Zimbabwe can obtain a visa on arrival if they have a pre-arranged visa approval.

If you have a visitor's permit, you are not allowed to engage in work, business, religious vocations, or professional research. If you wish to do any of those things, you must get a business permit.

By Air

Honiara International Airport is located 8 kilometres east of the capital, Honiara. Solomon Airlines offers flights departing from Brisbane, Australia four times a week, whilst Virgin Australia offers an additional two services to and from Brisbane. There are also flights departing from Port Vila Vanuatu, Nadi Fiji and Port Moresby Papua New Guinea.

Due to a dispute between Solomon Airlines and Fiji Airways, all connections between Fiji and the Solomons were suspended as of September 2014. Service was restored in March 2015, and this route is now served by Fiji Airways and Solomon Airlines.

By Sea

Cruise ships occasionally visit Honiara and the outer provinces as part of a scheduled tour. It is usually not possible to use these vessels as one way transport to or from the country.

Expedition company Heritage Expeditions (New Zealand based company) explores the Solomon Islands with its 50 passenger expedition ship 'Spirit of Enderby / Professor Kromov' each April and October with expeditions of up to 18 days. They use the ship to relocate, anchor and then zodiacs to navigate waterways and visit out-of-the-way islands and communities in expedition style travel. Main focus of voyage and the daily landings are cultural, wildlife, hiking and underwater snorkeling experiences.

Recreational yachts regularly visit the Solomon Islands, many staying for extended periods to enjoy and explore the many islands, coral atolls and beautiful lagoons.

Whilst it is possible to travel from southern Bougainville in Papua New Guinea by boat/motor canoe into the Western Province of the Solomon Islands, there are currently no commercial operators running this service. Some more intrepid visitors have been successful in securing passage on motor canoes heading between the two regions on supply trips.

It should be noted that in most cases these boats do not carry life jackets, marine radios or any further form of safety equipment so caution should be exercised. There is no fixed ticket price and the journey price would need to be negotiated directly with the boat operator. In most cases, boats may reach as far as Gizo in the Western Province which has regular domestic air and sea connections with Honiara.

Immigration formalities can be attended to in Gizo or Noro.

Touring Around

Air

Solomon Airlines is currently the only airline offering domestic flights within the Solomon Islands. They have a fleet of 5 planes for domestic services which include a 'Dash 8', two 'Twin Otters' and two 'Islander' aircraft. All aircraft are based at the Honiara Domestic Airport which is located five minutes walk from the international airport at Henderson. The Airport is accessible from the city centre for a capped rate of $100.00 for a taxi. There is also a shuttle bus service which services all the main accommodation for $75.00 per person.

Flights depart for Munda and Gizo in the Western Province daily, whilst other locations are generally serviced less frequently.

Tickets can be booked online at flysolomons.com or there are ticketing offices at Point Cruz and Panatina Plaza in Honiara or at each regional airport.

By Sea

Due to the layout of the country, Solomon Islanders are very used to travelling by sea and in most cases this is seemingly the preferred method of travel. While this may not be the fastest way to get to your destination, voyages by sea can be scenic and take you through lesser-travelled areas. As most offer quite basic amenities, they are also considerably cheaper than travelling

By Air.

While the vast majority of ships are incredibly basic by western standards, all have toilets and usually a basic canteen selling snacks and drinks. Safety equipment is mandatory for all commercial vessels in the Solomon Islands so each vessel should be equipped with appropriate materials and abide by loading requirements.

Although there may be some seating available, most passengers will find a space on the floor and roll out a mat to claim an area to sleep during the journey. Due to their mixed role as passenger and freight carriers, most ships may spend a while at various ports during a journey to load and offload. While this can create delays, it also invites the opportunity to take a walk around the area and perhaps buy some fresh fruit or BBQ fish from a market.

Cargo ships run to virtually every province from Honiara and the price is sometimes just a fraction of the price of flying. To most places ships will run every week but to more remote provinces (Temotu) every two weeks or so. As opposed to passenger ships, cargo ships are slower, stopping at more ports, picking up cargo, which allows time for wandering, socializing and enjoying the views. Schedules are virtually non-existent, but Honiara's port is a good place to start asking. Information seems to be spread by word of mouth. Ask for telephone number and reconfirm again and again.

An exception to the rule, there are a small number of ships which provide a superior service, aimed primarily at higher quality passenger only transport. These ships include:

360 Discovery A former Auckland Harbour ferry which provides an almost daily fast ferry service to Auki in Malaita, often via Tulagi in Ngella (Central Province). There is a canteen onboard, toilets and flat screen tv with movies. Tickets can be purchased from either the ship or their office in Point Cruz near the Lime Lounge Cafe. In 2012 the fare as S$300 one way or S$580 return. Boarding is at 7:30am for an 8am departure, reaching Auki at around 12:30pm.

Pelican Express which provides a regular fast ferry service to Auki and the only weekly day trip service to the Western Province including ports of Batuna, Seghe, Noro and Gizo (no more as of October 2014). There is indoor and outdoor seating, toilets, canteen, and flat screen tv with movies. Ticket options include first or second class, first class seating is on the top level and is a little less crowded.

Bring some warm clothes as the air conditioning works a little too well. Tickets can be purchased from the ship or their office in Point Cruz near the Lime Lounge Cafe. The Pelican usually departs Honiara for Gizo on Sunday mornings, arriving in Gizo just before dark on the same day. It then returns to Honiara on Monday mornings. Note that this service is subject to calm seas and weather conditions and can be cancelled (sometimes even when the journey has already commenced) if conditions are not favourable.

Fair Glory, a large and sturdy passenger vessel providing the only service with private tourist cabin accommodation on board. Fair Glory travels weekly to both Auki and Gizo (via Seghe, Ughele and Noro ports). Trips to the Western Province depart every Sunday morning arriving in Gizo before lunch on Monday. The ship then departs Gizo for Honiara on Tuesday mornings. Prices for tickets vary depending on seating class.

Although cabin prices include 2 pax, in early 2013 quoted prices for a cabin for the Honiara-Gizo journey were similar to that of two one way tickets on the Solomon Airlines service to Gizo. As of October 2014 Fair Glory is not operating, being repaired in the Philippines. Until it is away, a cargo ship, Chanella takes passengers too.

Auki Ferry This runs most days from Honiara Wharf to Auki on the island of Malaita across the Slot from Honiara. In 2012 the fare as S$300 one way or S$580 return. The ferry travels through the Florida Islands channel which is worth seeing and there's a high chance you'll see plenty of flying fish if you look off the front or sides of the boat. The catamaran ferry is a former Auckland Harbour ferry so is not designed to be ocean-going.

This means that when it's rough, it's rough so be prepared. The ferry has plenty of comfortable seating, air conditioning and a big flat screen which shows films during the journey. You can buy drinks and snacks on the ferry although it's best to buy this on the way out from Honiara as supplies run low once the boat is heading back. There is a toilet.

Boarding is at 7:30am for an 8am departure. Buy your ticket from a vehicle parked outside the jetty gate in the wharf car park. It'll be the one swamped with people getting tickets at 7:30am. Boat stops in [Tulagi] (9:30am) in Florida Islands and leaves ten minutes later for Poromole (arr. 10:30) which has a beautiful beach and water. It reaches Auki at 12:30 and leaves to return to Honiara via the same route at 2pm (boarding from 1:30pm). Return to Poromole is 3:30pm and Tulagi at 4:30pm before arrival in Honiara at sunset or around 6pm.

One of the most popular and scenic routes is between Gizo and Honiara. Most ships will make a stopover in Noro (for Munda which doesn't have a deep sea wharf) and Seghe. As of October 2014 three ferries operate this route: Chanella (substituting Fair Glory), Kosko (a cargo ship making many stops) and LC Phoenix (passengers only). Prices vary between 300 and 500 SBD one way so ask around. Oddly, all boats depart at the same time: Sunday from Honiara, Tuesday morning from Gizo. Cancellations and delays are common.

Bring a mat for sleeping and a jacket for all sea travel.

The islands are home to more than 120 indigenous Melanesian languages, with most citizens speaking the local Melanesian Pidgin as a lingua franca. English is the official language, but spoken by only 1 or 2% of the population.

ATM's are available in Honiara. Australian dollars are accepted at some hotels and resorts.

The bulk of the population depends on agriculture, fishing, and forestry for at least part of their livelihood. Most manufactured goods and petroleum products must be imported. The islands are rich in undeveloped mineral resources such as lead, zinc, nickel, and gold.

However, severe ethnic violence, the closing of key business enterprises, and an empty government treasury have led to serious economic disarray, indeed near collapse. Tanker deliveries of crucial fuel supplies including those for electrical generation have become sporadic due to the government's inability to pay and attacks against ships.

Telecommunications are threatened by the nonpayment of bills and by the lack of technical and maintenance staff, many of whom have left the country.

Although there's no legal purchasing age of alcoholic beverages, the legal drinking age is 21.

While not as bad as neighboring Papua New Guinea, crime rates in the Solomon Islands are high. Travel after dark is dangerous, especially in Honiara, and muggers have been known to target tourists at the Japanese War Memorial on Mt Austin even in broad daylight.

Ethnic tension between Guales,residents of Guadalcanals and Malaitans, as well as between everybody and the Chinese, continue to simmer. Australian troops have been in place since 2003 to keep things in check, but this did not prevent violent rioting in Honiara in 2006 from destroying large parts of the city.

Malaria is the biggest health issue in the Solomon Islands. Travellers to the area should take anti-malarial pills before, during and after their stay.

Saltwater Crocodiles are relatively common,in comparison to other islands in the South Pacific, in the Solomon Islands and great care should be taken while in or near any body of water. Knowledge is the best defense for yourself and for the protection of the crocs themselves.

While by no means anywhere even close to crocodile levels in both Northern Australia and New Guinea, the population is still considered relatively healthy on the Solomons in comparison to much of the species' Southeast Asian range. This is especially true of the islands closest to New Guinea, which hold the highest populations in the Solomons.

Unfortunately mobile internet is very slow and expensive. Some places in Honiara will have free wifi,the Bamboo cafe, for example.

Prepaid SIM cards are available from Telekom and BeMobile companies.

SAMOA: South Pacific Tourism Organisation Markets Samoa Tourism

The South Pacific Tourism Organisation (S.P.T.O.) is creating greater awareness of tourism in the South Pacific Islands region across Europe, through a series of marketing events over the next two months.

Meet the Pacific is a series of one-day business-to-business meetings that’s held across five European cities, namely Barcelona, Milan, Prague, Zurich and Manchester from 22 February to 6 March.

It creates the opportune platform for Pacific tourism suppliers to meet with key European tour operators (buyers) who are committed to or interested in selling the South Pacific as a destination to their clients.

“Meet The Pacific is a great way for South Pacific tourism bodies and operators to meet with key industry buyers in Europe in a short period of time, and maximize their resources with maximum impact for their particular destinations, product and service offerings,” said S.P.T.O. Marketing Manager, Alisi Lutu.

Now in its third year, the event is organised by Rosie Holidays (Fiji) and Turama Pacific (Cook Islands) and supported by S.P.T.O.

On 25 February, S.P.T.O. will also participate in a consumer tourism event called Visit Pacific in Malmo, Sweden.

Visit Pacific organiser Tour Pacific, a Swedish-based South Pacific Travel Specialist, has confirmed 33 exhibiting companies including airlines, cruise operators, tourism offices and hotels from Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Tahiti and Vanuatu expected to attend.

S.P.T.O’s presence at Visit Pacific will help ensure that the region’s smaller Pacific Island destinations get a voice at this key event.

These events lead up to South Pacific Islands’ participation in I.T.B Berlin, the world’s largest consumer and travel trade show in Europe from 8 to 12 March along with national tourism offices and private sector (airlines, resorts, tour operators) from Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands,

New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tahiti and Vanuatu.

The annual event attracts thousands of participants and experts mainly from the European travel and tourism industry, as well as globally.

Participants at I.T.B. range from all sectors of the tourism and travel industry including travel agents, wholesalers, tour operators, hotels, airlines, media, government representatives and other travel related companies.

S.P.T.O. will use the I.T.B. platform to promote the new South Pacific Islands brand identity, launched in October 2016 into the wider European market, which is highly diverse and remains one of the key consistent markets in the world today.

Total visitor arrivals from Europe to the Pacific Islands region have fluctuated from 177,828 visitors in 2011 to 173,278 visitors in 2015. A decrease of 172,824 visitors is estimated for 2016, which may be largely attributed to impacts of Brexit. The forecast for 2017 is 173,222 visitors.

Participation at Meet the Pacific, Visit the Pacific and I.T.B. 2017 allows Pacific Island countries to invigorate key networks; re-establish contracts; enter new markets by creating business opportunities through sales leads and introduce new products and services to the European travel market.

Europe is the 3rd largest tourist source market, representing about 10% of all visitor arrivals to the Pacific Islands region; following Australia and New Zealand holding steadfast, a combined 50% market share.

“It is important for the sustainability of Pacific tourism that we are maintaining marketing and promotional presence and engaging productive partnerships with European travel partners on selling our Pacific Island destinations.

This will help encourage the needed growth of visitor traffic and yields out of these long haul markets into our Pacific island economies,” said S.P.T.O. Marketing Manager Alisi Lutu.

S.P.T.O will also promote its online South Pacific Specialist programme to train European travel agents on how to best market and sell the South Pacific to their clients

FIJI: South Pacific Tourism Organisation Hosts Miss Pacific Islands 2016, Anne Christine Dunn

National and regional pageants give recognition to young Pacific Island women and their contributions to regional affairs across diverse fields.

This was highlighted by the South Pacific Tourism Organisation that welcomed and hosted Miss Pacific Islands 2016 Anne Christine Dunn to a luncheon at their office in Suva today.

South Pacific Tourism Organisation Chief Executive Officer Chris Cocker says Dunn, who is also Miss Fiji 2016 was recently crowned the overall winner at the 30th Miss Pacific Islands pageant last week in Apia, Samoa.

Eight Pacific Island beauties from American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Samoa competed in this year’s event.

Cocker says that the Pacific’s tourism assets are its people, environment and culture; and pageants serve as a unique platform to celebrate these assets.

He adds that SPTO, as the leading regional body for tourism promotion, will continue to support national and regional pageants that celebrate cultural diversity, promote our idyllic Pacific destinations, and contribute to foreign exchange earnings of the host country.

Miss Pacific Islands 2016 Anne Dunn is championing awareness on climate change and tourism in the Pacific, with a special focus on young women and youths.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Air Niugini's Domestic Competitor Rebrands

Following last year's rebranding of Air Niugini's domestic arm into Link PNG , their domestic competitor Airlines PNG is now following suit and rebranding as PNG Air.

The rebranding of the smaller airline is being done as Airlines PNG/PNG Air take delivery of a new turboprop aircraft, a French built ATR72-600(C) direct from the manufacturers.

Airlines PNG has previously been an all-Bombardier operator with fourteen Dash 8-100s used on scheduled passenger flights throughout Papua New Guinea from its bases at Port Moresby and Rabaul.

Air Niugini is the growing and well managed, national carrier of the wonderful country which is Papua New Guinea.

PHILIPPINES: Philippine Airlines Now Flying To Auckland

The new flights will operate four times a week from the home base of Philippine Airlines in Manila to Auckland, with an intermediate stop in the Australian resort city of Cairns, using a 156-seater Airbus A320 aircraft.

Late night Flights leave Manila on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday at 2315, with a scheduled arrival in Auckland at 1630 the next day. The return flights leave Auckland in the evening on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 1930 and arrive Manila at 0330 the next day.

Auckland is PAL’s 38th international destination and the airline continues to expand its presence in the region with another new service starting 18 December from Manila to Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. PAL also has regular services to Darwin, Brisbane and Melbourne.

More and more passengers are choosing to fly with Philippine Airlines as their unique combination of competitive fares and friendly on-board service makes them a great alternative to flying with heavily advertised airlines whose services depend upon connections through airports in the Gulf region.

We recommend giving Philippine Airlines a try next time you are heading down south

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Hilton Port Moresby Will Open In 2018

Hilton has signed its first hotel in Papua New Guinea, as part of a major new complex that will also include a convention centre.

Under a new management agreement with Star Mountain Plaza Ltd (SMPL), Hilton will operate the newly-built Hilton Port Moresby and convention centre in the Star Mountain Plaza development in Papua’s capital city.

The 212-room hotel will form part of a new 16-storey mixed-use tower which will also include office and retail space and 128 apartments. Construction is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2015 and be completed by late 2017.

“Papua New Guinea is one of the world’s last tourism frontiers,” said Rob Palleschi, Hilton’s global head of full service brands. “Port Moresby is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea, and the main port of entry into Papua New Guinea by air and sea, making it a key gateway location. Today we are delighted to fly the Hilton flag in yet another attractive leisure destination here in Port Moresby.”

Hilton Port Moresby will comprise of 164 standard rooms (33m²), 46 executive suites (46.5m²) and two chairman suites (117m²), along with four restaurants, two bars, a business centre, health club, spa and outdoor pool, plus several event spaces measuring up to 2,800m².

To be built over two stages, the entire US$400 million Mountain Plaza development is being overseen by Papua New Guinea’s state-run Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC).

“Aside from being a popular leisure destination, Papua New Guinea is also increasingly attractive for business travel,” said Augustine S. Mano, managing director of MRDC and chairman of SMPL. “Hilton is the perfect partner and we are confident that Hilton Port Moresby will set a new benchmark in world-class hotel experiences here in Papua New Guinea when it opens its doors in 2018.”

The signing of the new Hilton comes just a few months after IHG launched a new Holiday Inn Express hotel in Port Moresby, which joins existing Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels in the Papuan capital.