Tetepare and the cost of fuel in the Solomons

Despite the cost of inflation for most items in the Solomons being only 1% during the second half of 2010, the cost of fuel has unfortunately risen over 15% in the last three months.

Like many of our fellow tourism providers here in the Western Province, we're sorry to say that we can't keep absorbing this significant extra cost; and as a not-for-profit business, these price increases really affect our ability to do our crucial conservation and livelihoods work.

So, from March 1st 2011, we are going to have to apply a temporary fuel surcharge to all our boat transfers and boat-related activities on Tetepare; hopefully we shall soon see fuel costs drop back down to pre-Christmas 2010 prices, and we'll soon be able to do away with our surcharge.

Below is a copy of the announcement that has been posted in the TDA's Munda office and on Tetepare. Our Bookings Officer will be attempting to contact all those guests who have made reservations in the coming weeks and months to advise them of this change to our prices.

Tetepare: temporary fuel surcharge

Unfortunately, the price of fuel has risen by over just over 15% in the last three months, and this means that the TDA's costs have also risen significantly.

To help us deal with these price increases, we are having to introduce a temporary fuel surcharge on boat transfers and all other boat-related activities around Tetepare.

The surcharge will be 15%, and will take effect from March 1st 2011.

This means, for example, that single-leg transfers between Tetepare and Munda will increase in price from 1200 SBD to 1400 SBD.  And the 'turtle rodeo' price will increase from 350 SBD to 400 SBD.

Once fuel prices return to their pre-Christmas 2010 levels, we shall remove this temporary surcharge immediately.

We thank you for your understanding.

The Tetepare Descendants' Association

New harvest-restriction signs on Tetepare

This week our Conservation Manager John Paranga, working alongside the TDA's Conservation Advisor Gillian Goby, has put up new signs announcing harvesting restrictions for the first of two key areas on and around Tetepare. These closures last for 12 months, and mean that even typically sustainable harvesting activities are to be suspended, to help stocks become healthy again. More detail about the origins of these seasonal closures can be found in the TDA December 2010 newsletter, available at tetepare.org.