Established in 1983 as the Tourism Council of the South Pacific, the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) is the mandated organisation representing Tourism in the region.
Its 21 Government members are American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis & Futuna, Rapa Nui and the People’s Republic of China. In addition to government members, the Pacific Tourism Organisation has about 200 private sector members.
The Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) has become a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, which establishes and manages global standards for sustainable travel and tourism, known as the GSTC Criteria. SPTO’s membership in the GSTC will complement the work of the organization in moving forward particularly in relation to the newly developed Pacific Sustainable … read more
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CARE FIJI COMMITMENT-approved operators whose entire teams are fully vaccinated can now access a new communication tool to confirm this important safety measure – the 100% Vaccinated Stamp. This new feature will be displayed concurrently with the CFC logo to identify businesses that are CFC approved and have had all their staff fully vaccinated. “We … read more
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The Society of Fiji Travel Associates (SOFTA) have confirmed their full support of the Fiji Government’s recent announcement and position on COVID-19 vaccinations being a requirement of both employers and employees in the workplace. SOFTA President Beatrice Nast applauded the stance, reiterating “vaccinations are critical to reducing the spread of COVID-19 and the unnecessary loss … read more
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TOURISM Fiji has today announced the appointment of experienced tourism marketing senior executive, Brent Hill as Chief Executive Officer. Hill, who most recently was the Executive Director of Marketing for the South Australian Tourism Commission, brings over 16 years of experience in tourism and digital marketing, advertising, branding, communications, campaign and executive strategy to Fiji’s … read more
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As an outer island destination with no international point of entry, Savaii faces major inter-island and international access challenges, which have been further exacerbated by the 2019 measles outbreak and of course the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the prolonged impacts of these events, the local tourism industry has had to adapt and diversify accordingly. … read more
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2020 Annual Visitor Arrivals Report In late May, the Research and Statistics team published its 2020 Annual Visitor Arrivals Snapshot Report. Embedded within the report is a summary of the 2021 private sector survey results of the Tourism Industry impacted by COVID-19 (highlighted in Sustainable Newsbeat May 2021). The recently complied report shows that the … read more
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Talofa Lava from the Sustainable Tourism & Research Division at SPTO! In this issue of our Pacific Sustainable Tourism Newsbeat, we are pleased to announce that our feature country is Samoa! Through a combined teamwork with the Samoa Tourism Authority and industry members, we are excited to update you with a number of key industry … read more
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As one of the few pilot hotels in Samoa that participated in a 2018 Sustainability Monitoring Programme, Amoa Resort Savaii continues to reap the benefits of the lessons learnt from the programme. Made possible through support from SPTO, Samoa Tourism Authority, Sustainable Travel International and the UNDP, the programme developed data collection systems and analysis … read more
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As it continues to prepare for safe tourism reactivation, Samoa has announced that it will be launching the Samoa Travel Tracer – a contact tracing application made possible through a collaborative partnership between the Samoa Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Health. Samoa Travel Tracer will use Bluetooth to trace close contact between users and … read more
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Since the second wave of Covid-19 in April, with lockdowns and travel restriction, life has not come easy to anyone in Fiji especially in the Tourism Industry. Radisson Blu Resort Fiji continued to stay open for business 7 days a week and looked at strategies and opportunities to sustain business and to provide jobs for … read more
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Welcome to the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Network! You are here because you have an interest in our efforts to realise a sustainable future for the Pacific Islands through tourism that brings benefits to our people, safeguards our cultural heritage and ensures the environment that we depend on is protected for generations to come.
This platform aims to bring together all stakeholders including individuals, businesses, Government agencies, experts, development partners and travelers to share information, learn from experiences and promote collective efforts in preserving our Pacific destinations through a range of actions that matter.
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Change was needed in the travel industry, even before the pandemic took place. Here’s what 2020 taught us about sustainable tourism and travel for 2021. With 2020 basically putting a halt to all but essential travel, and hotels, monuments, airlines, museums and restaurants trying to reinvent themselves, repurpose their spaces and their services, can the … read more
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To further protect New Zealand from COVID-19, the Government is extending pre-departure testing to all passengers to New Zealand except from Australia, Antarctica and most Pacific Islands, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “The change will come into force for all flights arriving in New Zealand after 11:59pm (NZT) on Monday 25 January, to minimise disruption for those … read more
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Opinion: Sven Lindblad, CEO, Lindblad Expeditions An article in the New York Times on August 27 bore the headline “Move Over Sustainable Travel, Regenerative Travel Has Arrived.” It got a lot of attention, rightfully so, as it was a very meaningful article. The first two paragraphs were telling. “Once accounting for 10% of employment worldwide, … read more
read moreBy: Natalie Kessell Invigorated by my short stay in Nadi, it was time to relish every last bit of the Bula spirit aboard my Fiji Airways flight back home to New South Wales’ capital Sydney. The crew’s beaming smiles assured me the spirit of Fiji was alive and well in the air just as it … read more
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