Executive Summary

The 2024-2025 Community Attitude Survey (CAS) provides the first national baseline of community perspectives on tourism in the Solomon Islands. Conducted between November 2024 and June 2025, the survey achieved 1,280 responses, with 1,264 valid responses analyzed, covering all 10 provinces. This represents strong engagement across the country, with citizens making up 98% of respondents

Key Findings

• Tourism is widely valued as an engine for economic growth, job creation, and diversification beyond extractive industries.
• Respondents strongly link tourism with cultural preservation, community pride, and global visibility of the Solomon Islands.
• Community readiness is evident: locals are eager to share culture, engage visitors, and benefit from tourism.

Concerns

• Infrastructure deficits (roads, inter-island transport, sanitation, and accommodations) remain the biggest barrier.
• Unequal distribution of benefits, with fears that wealthier groups and foreign operators capture most gains.
• Environmental risks: unmanaged tourism could harm reefs, forests, and sacred cultural sites.
• Limited tourism education and awareness, hindering community participation and visitor service quality.

Opportunities

• Community-based tourism can empower rural families, youth, and women through ownership of homestays, guiding, and cultural experiences.
• Tourism education and training—from schools to vocational programs—can improve skills, service delivery, and sector resilience.
• Marketing and promotion strategies can better showcase the Solomon Islands’ unique natural beauty, WWII heritage, and “Hapi Isles” identity.
• Government leadership is essential to strengthen policies, fund infrastructure, and expand tourism’s contribution to the National Development Strategy (2016–2035).

Conclusion

The CAS results demonstrate that Solomon Islanders are ready and willing to embrace tourism as a driver of national progress. However, to unlock its full potential, investments must focus on infrastructure, education, environmental stewardship, and inclusive community participation. With strategic action, the Solomon Islands can position itself as a sustainable and authentic tourism destination within the Pacific and beyond.