Anyone looking to experience true Solomon Island hospitality, a rich experience of local culture, beautiful ocean & beaches and a truly interesting insight into WWII history – then go no further than Hapi Isles Tours & Transfers in Honiara.
If you’re particularly interested in war history, the Solomon Islands is renowned for hosting one of the most ferocious battles in history during World War II. The Battle for Guadalcanal stands as a monumental chapter in the nation’s history. While the war played a crucial role in the liberation of the Solomon Islands and the establishment of its nationhood, it also left behind enduring traces of conflict. The remnants of this fierce battle include hundreds of sunken battleships and warplanes.
“We love to make our guests happy and share our unique culture and community”, says Joycelyn West, who owns Hapi Isles Tours & Transfers with her partner Morrison Filia.
The business which started in 2023, offers four products: transfers to and from the airport, a Honiara city tour, a WWII sites tour, and a customisable tour. Its customers are mostly international visitors, and Joycelyn says it is getting more and more bookings each month. To promote its business, it has an active Facebook page, a listing on Tripadvisor, and is currently working on a website to draw more customers.
In 2024, the business received a boost via a grant through a BLP Business Support Grant. “When we approached BLP, we had a vehicle that could take three customers, and we would rent larger vehicles for bigger groups. But we realised to grow, we needed our own van.”
“The BLP Grant has positively impacted our business, assisting us to secure funds to purchase a new larger vehicle for our business. We can now take 6 to 7 people in our new vehicle and secure more bookings for tours and airport transfers.”
Having their own larger vehicle means they now have reduced expenses. “Previously, we would rent a vehicle if we had a larger tour group. Often it was difficult to rent the van we wanted, when we wanted it.”
Joycelyn says now that they don’t have to rent a vehicle regularly, their cash flow has improved. “This means the business is also in a better position to get business loans with lending institutions.”
Looking to the future, Joycelyn says they would like to purchase a 23-seater bus to increase the number of customers they can carry.
The young couple runs the business, with Joycelyn in management and Morrison running operations. They employ two students part-time and support other young people in the community.
When applying for the BLP Grant, Joycelyn sat down with a BLP representative who took Joycelyn through a Business Diagnostic to help understand the business’s strengths and opportunities for improvement.
BLP facilitates access to business advisory services and financial support. To start your journey with BLP, you can self-assess your needs by using the free online tools available to help small- and medium-sized businesses diagnose areas in their businesses that an advisor could improve.
The first step can be the online Business Health Check. You can also check your business’s resilience to respond to crises or climate change challenges on the Business Continuity Planner and the Climate Action Sensor. If you prefer to meet a local BLP representative in person to discuss your business, get in touch with our local partners to arrange a face-to-face Diagnostic.