BY LORETTA B MANELE
Casper Diau, Operator and Director of Vilu World War Two Outdoor Museum in Northwest Guadalcanal says he appreciates the government, Minister of Tourism and officers of the ministry for seeing the importance of tourism in the country.
In an interview with the paper late last week, he said they recently received a visit from 14 TV stations from Europe.
Diau said they came to film the museum and get specific documents detailing how the battle of Guadalcanal unravelled in Solomon Islands.
Speaking of battle, he said a lot of people in the world might of have heard about World War 2 and where it happened but they don’t really know how it happened.
“It’s our pride to have this unique history which a lot of the world do not know. While they know about WW2, they don’t know how it actually happened or turned out in Solomon Islands,” he said.
Diau added that people will only understand more about the war when they come to the museum in Solomon Islands and see the relics and the significance of its history.
“When they come and see the relics or reach where the battle was fought, only then can they actually feel a sense of history of the WW2 when it happened here in Solomon Islands,” he said.
Diau said the Visitors Bureau recently travelled abroad to expand marketing in terms of tourism.
“This shows gov’t heart and emphasis in putting more emphasis on tourism, and it shows that visitors are very serious to come into the country,” he said.
Diau said the Visitors Bureau trip will help to inform more people, especially those who want to find Solomon Islands but don’t where it is located.
“Through this, they help people who struggle to find the location of Solomon Islands so it makes it easier for people to know more about Solomon Islands and where the country is located,” he said.
Diau mentioned that their visitors also appreciate Visitors Bureau for their work in Australia as it will help to link Solomon Islands and the rest of the world especially European countries.
He said their visitors who came from Ukraine, Russia, Israel and Palestine appreciate the Ministry of Tourism for preserving relics of the World War 2 battle.
Diau also thanks schools that visited Vilu World War 2 Museum namely; Woodford International School, Visale Community High School and Marist College from Melbourne, Australia.
He said in schools, school principals should ensure that students learn more about the Solomon Islands history during World War 2 instead of what happened in European countries.
Vilu World War 2 Museum is home to a number of relics depicting the events that unfolded during the Second World War as well as documents.
Visitors Bureau is a government entity and a statutory authority that was rebranded as “Tourism Solomons” in 2018 which today is responsible for marketing and promotions for the tourism industry.
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