Solomon Islands is set to establish a new arts and heritage council to protect its culture in the arts industry as tourism grows.
With the help of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has been running workshops to educate performers about how to protect their livelihoods.
The Ministry's Director of Culture, Dennis Marita, says many need to be made aware of their rights and how to benefit fairly from the tourism dollar.
"The government recognises the importance and the potential of this sector in the development of the country and most especially there's a lot of emphasis in terms of the tourism industry and whereby culture plays a vital role in moving this vehicle forward."
Dennis Marita says the Solomon Islands National Arts and and Heritage Council will be set up by an act of parliament and will be operational by 2016.