Tourism brings income opportunities

A VILLAGE-BASED tour operator in the Siwai area of South Bougainville says tourism is the industry that is putting money in the pockets of the local people.
Tourism Siwai Association president Peter Siunai shared his experiences with South Bougainville MP Timothy Masiu during a presentation of a cheque for K50,000 for the creation of South Bougainville Tourism Authority.
Supporting a statement by Masiu that tourism could be a gold mine for South Bougainville and the rest of Bougainville, Siunai said they had more than 100 tourists last year which brought in almost K1 million to Siwai that commodities such as cocoa, copra and gold had not brought to the people.
He said the industry looked promising in Siwai and more tourists could have visited had it not been for the Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions.