Tourism gets input into draft regional strategy

A regional approach is what is needed to boost local tourism industries within the South Pacific.

This is according to the South Pacific Tourism Organisation’s Project Manager Chris Cocker.

At a Pacific Regional Tourism Strategy (P.T.R.S.) 2015-2019 stakeholder consultation held at the Tanoa Tusitala yesterday, members of the local tourism sector got the opportunity to discuss the strategy. Mr Cocker said the reason why a regional approach was important was because this cooperation provides advantages for South Pacific countries, where issues are regional in nature. “For example, Pacific branding, advocacy, cruise shipping, aviation, education and labour mobility,” he said.

“Cooperation between our Pacific regional marketing has benefits for all countries. “Particularly in the emerging markets, Pacific Village, road shows and niche markets in terms of more cost effective marketing under a regional approach. “In terms of providing specialised technical input and being more efficient and effective in capacity building…with N.T.O. (National Tourism Office) and operator training and visitor support.

“Cooperation encourages sustainable development across Pacific countries through the sharing of ideas ‘best practice’ and capacity building.”

In her opening remarks the Samoa Tourism Authority (S.T.A.) C.E.O. and Chair of the S.P.T.O. Board of Directors, Papali’i Sonja Hunter welcomed participants and regional tourism representatives and thanked the European Union for their financial support, which allowed for this workshop to happen. “Which actually brings together all of us because we are all stakeholders of South Pacific tourism,” she said.

“They are bringing us together so that you may be consulted on how we would like to drive our regional tourism.

“And how we are able to put our heads together knowing full well that tourism is the mainstay of the economies in the Pacific region. “It generates employment opportunities, it provides opportunities for the communities.” She said it was wonderful to see over the last 20 to 30 years that tourism was the main economic activity.

“That also makes great importance on how we should sustain our environment and promote and sustain our wonderful cultures,” she said.

“Because these are the main components that differentiates us from all the other Pacific Islands, and also regions of the world.”

Papali’i said tourism is very important to our region and that the Pacific Island Forum Leaders were also driving programs to ensure that countries do receive support in this area.

“Tourism actually brings in around 1.7 million tourists to our region as well as provides earnings of about US$2.5 billion in American dollars,” she said. “So there is a lot of potential for us as well.

“I welcome you all here this morning, I give you God’s blessings. “Let’s make use of this wonderful opportunity so that we can ensure that we are very much part and parcel of the regional tourism strategy.”

According to the Draft P.R.T.S., authored by tourism specialist Ross Hopkins from T.R.I.P. Consultants, implementation will underpin a regional approach to tourism sector development.

“Supporting a regional approach is vital in the Pacific and will have particular benefit for a region which has few sustainable economic sectors, which can support future growth at the level that tourism can achieve,” reads the draft report.

“And where the small scale of the island economies cast distances between nations can substantially hinder national development.”

The draft report states that by working together the Pacific islands can achieve the common vision of ‘sustainable economic growth and empowering the Pacific people’.

“Working together at a regional level, countries can learn from each other and share valuable resources to be globally competitive,” it says.

“The benefits are enormous for the region, but adopting a regional approach outlined in this Plan requires considerable commitment, coordination and resourcing.”

The 18 countries included in the draft plan are American Samoa, the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.