The General Manager of Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau, Michael Tokuru, wants reliable air services provided on the country's domestic routes.

Mr. Tokuru then calls on the national provider Solomon Airlines to improve its domestic services in the face of current competition within the domestic market.

Mr. Tokuru said most tourists traveling into the country have been experiencing delayed domestic flights that eventually led to some of them missing their international flight connections.

Tokuru also made reference to complaints made by operators in the Western Province about the attitude of the current provider and how their visitors were treated.

He said such an experience, both by operators and tourists are not good for the country if the Solomon Islands are to compete against other tourism destinations.

With the relative peace now experienced in the country, tourist operators in the country are expecting to see an increase in visitor numbers over the next few months.

Tokuru said this has been complimented by the favourable Travel Advice issued by our closest neighbor, Australia.

When asked about engaging international providers on the domestic route, Michael Tokuru said that could be an option.

However, sources close to the local Airline industry stated that it is very unlikely since, as it stands, domestic routes within the Solomon Islands are quite uneconomical. "This is exacerbated by the rise in the price of fuel in the recent past," stated the source.