BY JEFFREY TAFOLEHE
IN today’s world more Solomon Islanders are living, working, or studying overseas. Many have gained good qualifications, experiences, and exposure from their host country.
Yet for them despite being far away from home, Solomon Islands is always a special place where issues concerning the developments and wellbeing of the country remain to be an endearment concern in their hearts and mind. Some prepare to give their time to offer an outside look into issues affecting the country.
This week, Solomon Women’s Newspaper has managed to catch up with a Solomon Islander living abroad who shares her views on hospitality and services in the tourism industry in the Solomon Islands.
Solomon Women Newspaper (SWN): Brief background about yourself.
Malynda Carron (MC): My name is Malynda Carron, 28 years of age. I have a Master’s in Hotel Management and I’m pursuing a second degree in Tourism and ecological development while getting another degree in Arts and Literature from the University (UK-based online program). Tourism and Ecological development is a Masters’s program that is restricted to where I currently live. A new program that primarily focuses on developing tourism facilities while taking care of nature in brief.
SWN: How proud are you to be a Solomon Islander living abroad and seeing our tourism growing?
MC: I’m proud to see it grow, a bit ashamed not to be part of it.
SWN: How do you see and experience the hospitality services currently provided in the country?
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MC: Well, to be honest, the services provided in the country are really poor. Not only in hotels, if you go to shops, offices and even Taxis.
SWN: What is your general overview of the hospitality standard in the Solomon Islands?
MC: In my opinion, it is poor and below standard. I think many people get confused and think hospitality is just ‘Hello, how are you? With a big smile ‘and that’s it. We must realize in hospitality and services, there’s a whole psychology behind it. You have to anticipate, the idea is your guests don’t have to ask because you’re always one or two steps ahead. I think we need to change our attitude when it comes to services, people don’t want to serve. Most people think that a service is all about delivering food to the table.
SWN: Is it easy for a tourist to find the information they need in the Solomon Islands?
MC: It’s very difficult to find tourist information about the Solomon Islands. And I’m a local so I know the names of places, resorts, and activities to look for and still, I can’t get any information. For example, the websites, I tried contacting these enterprises and since then no reply. For hotels, I have been emailing them and trying to reserve rooms, and no reply. It’s not easy.
SWN: How do you measure tourism development in hospitality in the country compared to other Pacific countries?
MC: To be frank, the Solomon Islands is way behind in tourism development. Partly because of our unstable government. Other Pacific countries have investors. They have chain hotels, they have better facilities and they provide a lot of activities. However, for hospitality in terms of friendliness, the Solomon Islands for me would always rank #1.
SWN: As the Solomon Islands living abroad and experiencing hospitality treatment in the Solomon Islands how do you feel?
MC: Well…when I receive poor services I just let it go because I understand most do not have any background training at all. When they do mistakes in service, for me it’s no big deal. However, there were times when they were just outright disrespectful and cold. I remembered was out dining in one of our major hotels with my parents-in-law-in-law and other family members. The waitress was really cold and whenever we ask for something she made us feel really bad like we shouldn’t bother her at all. It’s just sad because these people flew all the way from Switzerland. The money they spent on airfares, hotels, and tours, they could go for a month in Paris/Rome/Barcelona, 5-star hotels and all but they decided to come to Solomons.
SWN: What are some opportunity areas you think tourism in the country should venture into?
MC: I think it would be nice to have an Island Resort that is a Spa and Wellness Centre as well. Using natural and local products for treatments…Like they did in Thailand. We could go beyond just being an adventure destination.
SWN: What are some areas the tourism industry in the country needs to seriously consider especially in the hotels?
MC: Let me just say that hotels in the Solomon Islands are expensive. So they need to improve on almost everything.
SWN: What is your simple recommendation for tourism in the country to improve on?
MC: I think we need to train people and I know that the University of South Pacific (USP) offers a Hospitality and Management degree. And we have a lot of graduates; however, personally, with all due respect, I would hire someone who was trained by APTC than USP. The reason being in hotels (or any service job) you need on-the-job training. And that’s what APTC is doing. Some people with Master’s Degree, but have never worked in a hotel. You need a minimum of 5 years’ experience; it’s a job that changes on a daily basis and its experience over qualification.