By Francesca Nith
As the WorldVision Song Contest 122 in Orangamonk draws nearer, and the Banutang Song Festival, drawing 200,000 people a year from Saint Monkey and the world begins, tourists have flooded Saint Monkey.
Passenger traffic at Chimpangutan and Orangamonk Airport have increased by an average of 350%, according to the Ministry of Transportation. Even Saint Crown Airport's traffic has increased by 120%, some people opting to go via Crown Island and then take a ferry or plane to their destination.
This is not unusual for this time of year, the Banutang Song Contest being the peak season for tourists to visit, however most of the time the increase between the start of August and the beginning of the Banutang Song Festival is only 150%.
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Banutang Song Festival organisers expected an increase of tourists for this year, due to tourists bound for the WorldVision Song Contest. We talked with John Ondo, who has been organising the Banutang Song Festival ever since the first event in 1997. He said this could be the "one of the biggest Banutang in history. We have more acts wanting to perform, and a lot more tourists wanting to see them, and WorldVision after this. Either way, we're already prepared for it. The festival will run as scheduled!"
We also talked to some tourist arriving at the Airport, flights landing at Chimpangutan every 10 minutes full with tourists coming to either WorldVision or Banutang, or both. One said, "Saint Monkey is THE place to be! How lucky you all are to have this on your doorstep!" Another, "Here for WorldVision, but first going to a resort! Can't wait."
The Saint Monkeyian tourist season this year has been packed with events, with both the Festival of the Countryside and the Saint Monkey I Festival of Culture being bigger than ever, many concerts from big artists, big sporting events and now it comes to an end with the busiest bit yet, a music festival, a film festival and the 122nd edition of the WorldVision Song Contest.
15th August 2025
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