The Western Provincial capital of Gizo on Friday was graced with the presence of cruise boat Le Laperouse.
The cruise boat was on a 12 days visit to the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea starting last week.
The boat can carry about 180 passengers.
During its brief visit to the country, the boat owned by Ponant of French visited some of the tourist attraction areas such as Roderick Island in Ngella, Malaita Province and Western Province.
At Gizo the boat made a brief stopover at Gizo Habour.
However, most of the guests did not disembark for a brief tour around the provincial capital.
The boat went on to Njari where guests enjoyed a day of scuba diving and snorkelling.
Initially there was a plan for most of the guests to disembark for a visit through Gizo town.
Most carvers and weavers have been anticipating the visit.
However, in a public announcement a week before the visit, local organisers and the tourism division office in Gizo informed local carvers and weavers about the changes where most of the guests onboard won’t be disembarking.
Because of that, local carvers and weavers have been advised not to visit Gizo to avoid disappointment.
No reason was given as why guests did not disembark. The organisers and tourism office apologised to the local carvers and weavers for last minute changes.
From Gizo, the boat sails on to Alotau in Papua New Guinea (PNG) before heading off to Cairns where the cruise will conclude.
By MOFFAT MAMU
