A Swiss entrepreneur, Adolf Guyer-Zeller’s revolutionary idea won the bid in 1892 when the Swiss government proposed to build an alpine railway to reach the top of Jungfrau. Today, the Jungfraubahn remains the highest altitude railway in Europe and commands approximately 1150 visitors per day. Zeller died of a heart-attack in Zurich just 6 months after he was awarded the contract to build this railway. However, his sons continued their father’s dream and after years of hard labour, fatal accidents and setbacks the railway was officially opened to the public on August 1 1912 , the Swiss National Day.
This sets the background to my views on recent calls by tourists and other stakeholders in the industry on government and Solomon Islanders to help “fix” the state of tourism in our country.
The Swiss alpine adventure remains one of the highlights of any Swiss tourist experience. On a perfect sunny day, the surrounding regions show the alps in their splendour, a breathtaking yet peaceful experience for many. The one experience many who have traversed these mountain peaks often overlook is the startling attention to preservation that the Swiss have embraced. Their homes are still typically Swiss in architecture and people go on in their daily lives. We still see the cows grazing on fresh alpine grass, a child’s bicycle still lies slumped against the walls of a wooden garage, the toothless grin of an alpine farmer and you still see mothers huddled over the stove in the kitchen. Nothing seems artificial because the Swiss ensure that developments in the industry go hand in hand with that of their own daily lives.
We often hear of the need to improve infrastructure and service delivery as the biggest impediment to tourism in the country. But nobody asks for what purpose these improvements must be made. Are we providing a means to see Solomon Islands in its natural state or are we simply suggesting that our people must conform to the expectations of the industry. If it is the latter then I suggest it is a lofty, unnecessary and damaging suggestion. This is because the industry may be simply driven by the zeal to attain wealth but not necessarily the drive to showcase the country in its purest form!
At this juncture which is a crucial point in our development, we need to be zealous on the true nature of our wishes. The billions that tourism has generated around the world may not necessarily be the Solomon Islands experience. On that front, we need visionaries like Zeller who I believe was driven by his passion to provide an experience not the extortion of local people and pandering of their cultural values for a nickel and a dime. We need a well thought out strategy to preserve our identity, our natural environment and way of life without the need to prostitute ourselves to the highest bidder.
There is no doubt that the world can learn a lot from the Solomon Islands, there is no doubt the world needs to experience our way of life and tourism provides that avenue.
But they must experience our way of life in its true context, in an environment that is authentic and pristine. That is the only way people from the world over can understand that our simple way of life is just as rewarding as the rich and extravagant lifestyle of someone in the developed world. The world can still learn that the rough and tumble of our villages is still home to some of the happiest people in the world! No doubt, the lure of bright lights is tempting but when all is said and done, the simple villager is still the happiest person in the world because he has learned that one men’s gold is another men’s rubbish! Achieving that goal and filling that niche in the industry is what our overly enthusiastic proponents of tourism need to attain for our beautiful country.
Today, the young, old, frail and disabled have the opportunity to experience the alps in its majestic splendour from the Jungfrau because of the vision of Adolf Guyer-Zeller. Otherwise, it would have been just the story of climbers, researchers and extreme sports enthusiasts; the story of a selected few who dared to challenge the heights of Jungfrau. The Solomon Islands experience should be a story of how life is fulfilling, wholesome and rewarding even under a thatched roof and bumpy potholed infested roads.