SPTO hosted a third webinar for its members on Wednesday 24th June
25 June 2020
EBRD and UNWTO Partner to Boost Tourism Recovery
29 June 2020
The Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) hosted the Pacific Tourism Recovery Round Table on Thursday 25th June to brief key partners and donors on upcoming regional projects and to seek additional partnerships on recovery areas identified in the Pacific Tourism: Scenario development and recovery pathways report, which was jointly developed by SPTO and New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (NZMFAT).
Presenting at the round table were NZMFAT, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), Asia Development Bank (ADB)and the Travel Foundation to name a few, all of whom will be partnering with SPTO to deliver regional projects to assist the recovery efforts of the Pacific’s tourism sector. Furthermore, a private sector perspective was also highlighted by Rosie Holidays General Manager, Mr. Eroni Puamau, who focused on the important role of the private sector and the related considerations for tourism industry reactivation.
In opening the round table, SPTO Interim Chairman Mr Halatoa Fua, emphasized the importance of Pacific Tourism as a key economic driver of many island nations, with the potential to become a global leader in sustainable tourism development.
Further to the above, SPTO Chief Executive Mr. Christopher Cocker, noted the importance of having such discussions so as to avoid duplicating work that is planned or may already be underway in the region.
Moreover, Mr. Cocker also thanked development partners and donors who are committed to assisting the industry’s recovery from the impacts of COVID-19.
“The tourism industry is without a doubt one of the hardest hit industries in our region and we need all the help we can get. We are very grateful to our partners and donors that have shown interest in aiding our recovery”, he said.
The Asia Development Bank Pacific Sub Regional Office in Suva hosted the SPTO team to enable the virtual meeting which was attended by 27 participants in total from around 19 regional and international organisations.
