Tourism Adventure Trail Assessment - Strongim Bisnis

Position Description

Position: Tourism Adventure Trail Assessment

Program: Strongim Bisnis Location: Solomon Islands

Duration: Approx. 20 Days

Line manager and directly report to: Partnership Technical

Lead Works with: Tourism technical team

Background

Strongim Bisnis (SB) is an Australian Government-funded private sector development program supporting the growth of a resilient, diversified and socially inclusive economy in Solomon Islands. Through a market systems development approach, SB works with tourism businesses and other market actors to address constraints to growth, strengthen commercial opportunities and increase employment and incomes, particularly for women, youth and people with disabilities.

Although Solomon Islands has distinctive natural landscapes and community attractions, few have been developed into established, market-ready tourism trails or well-packaged visitor experiences. Potential sites often lack the basic assessment, access arrangements, safety measures, guiding, interpretation, facilities and commercial planning needed to offer a consistent experience that visitors can book and businesses can operate sustainably. There is therefore a need to assess what can realistically be developed at selected locations, and what would be required to make each experience safe, appealing and commercially viable.

Strongim Bisnis intends to assess five selected tourism trails or potential sites to determine their tourism potential and readiness for development. The assignment will examine the visitor experience, opportunities to establish or extend trails, and the practical requirements for management and commercial sustainability. It will also consider whether distinctive experiences, including volcanic landscapes, could attract specialised visitor markets or support tourism events.

Purpose of this consultancy

The objective of the assignment is to assess five selected trails or potential tourism sites and provide practical recommendations on their suitability for development, visitor experience, safety, market appeal and commercial sustainability. The assessment will inform decisions on potential follow-on support, working with local operators, communities and other relevant stakeholders.

The consultant will undertake a field-based assessment of five selected sites, provisionally in late November or early December 2026. For each site, the consultant will experience the proposed trail or visitor route under normal visitor conditions, accompanied by local guides where available, and spend a further day consulting key stakeholders, including customary chiefs, landowners, trail operators and relevant community representatives.

• Site and visitor assessment. Assess the route, access, condition and length of trails, points of interest, interpretation, guiding, visitor facilities, signage, safety risks and any infrastructure or equipment required. Identify what currently exists, what is missing and whether the experience is suitable for the intended visitor market.

• Stakeholder and operating arrangements. Discuss land access and permissions, community expectations, roles and responsibilities, guide capacity, visitor management, maintenance and identify any issues that could affect delivery or sustainability of site operations.

• Market and commercial potential. Assess the likely visitor appeal, target markets, potential pricing and operating costs, and realistic opportunities for local businesses and communities to earn income. Consider the potential for distinctive nature-based or volcanic experiences and specialised tourism markets or events where relevant.

• Recommendations and reporting. Prepare a concise report covering each site’s strengths, constraints and development potential; prioritise practical improvements; provide indicative cost ranges where feasible; and distinguish immediate, low-cost actions from larger investments or issues requiring further investigation. As relevant, identify any potential environmental impacts that development would have on the sites and relevant mitigation efforts that could be taken to contain the impact on the l

Deliverable:

An assessment report covering all five sites, supported by site-specific findings, stakeholder consultation, prioritised recommendations and indicative costs where these can be reasonably estimated.

Safeguarding Considerations

This consultancy involves engagement with program participants and community members, including travel to provincial locations and, where agreed, filmed interviews. The consultant is expected to undertake all activities in a manner that is safe, respectful and inclusive, and consistent with Strongim Bisnis’ safeguarding approach and DFAT’s Safeguarding Framework.

The consultant must ensure informed consent is obtained prior to filming or interviewing any individual, clearly explaining the purpose of the filming and intended use of the content. Particular care must be taken when engaging with women, youth, and other potentially vulnerable participants. Any safeguarding concerns identified during the assignment must be promptly raised with Strongim Bisnis management.