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The Minister for Culture & Tourism, the Hon. Bartholomew Parapolo has officially launched the inaugural ‘Solomons Airlines Peace Marathon’.

Scheduled to take place in the nation’s capital on 23 October 2021, the event is a joint initiative between the Ministry of Culture & Tourism, Tourism Solomons, Travel Solomons and Solomon Airlines.

The ‘Solomons Airlines Peace Marathon’ will comprise four events – 2K, 5K, 10K races and a 21.1K Half-Marathon – with a host of sponsor-donated prizes to be awarded across a variety of categories.

Adding a fun element to the day, the organisers are encouraging participants to compete wearing fancy dress with a prize going to the best outfit judged in each category. 

The Solomon Airlines Peace Marathon forms part of the ongoing ‘Iumi Tugeda’ campaign launched in September 2020 as part of a five-point plan intended to rekindle and sustain the Solomon Islands tourism sector’s fortunes as it looked to adapt to the COVID-19 environment. 

While primarily positioned as a social event to bring the people of Honiara and the Provinces together in these uncertain COVID-19 pandemic-dominated times, the event is also intended to remind people of the ongoing Solomon Airlines-driven ‘Iumi Tugeda Holiday Program’. 

Launched earlier this year, the initiative has played an active role in encouraging Solomon Islanders to holiday in their own backyard in support of struggling tourism operators affected by ongoing international border closures.

As importantly, the event is also seen as being key in drawing the community’s attention to the celebrations being planned around an event which will once again see the world’s spotlight shine upon the Solomon Islands – the 80thAnniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal which falls in August 2022.