19 Sep 2017

Vanuatu craft sellers told to focus on local

1:25 pm on 19 September 2017

Vanuatu`s Department of Tourism has told stall holders on Mystery Island to prepare to start selling only local products to tourists from next year.

The Government drive is to encourage more people to use local resources to produce `Made in Vanuatu products` for sale to visitors, and end the reliance on cheap imported Chinese products.

A finding by the International Finance Corporation confirmed that almost all items that vendors sell to tourists are imported products from China.

no caption

A stall selling goods in Vanuatu Photo: RNZ

In July women selling handicrafts at the Port Vila market set up a co-operative society to buy quality items made in the outer islands.

The president of the Bulvanua Arts & Handicrafts Co-operative Society, Rosalie Vatu, said the co-operative aims to buy woven baskets, mats, fans, beads and carvings made in the islands to sell to tourists.

She said that vendors had been selling imported products to tourists because there were not enough local goods available.