Capacity Building Programmes Benefit the Private Sector and National Tourism Organisations

A virtual training programme, made possible through a partnership between the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) and Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), concluded today with the presentation of certificates to 58 participants.

As the second component of a Small Island States and Territories (SIS) capacity building project, the programme delivered virtual training on Service Excellence (5^th – 16^th July) and Destination Marketing Inbound Travel (26^th July – 6^th August) to participants from Federated States of Micronesia, Tokelau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Tuvalu and Kiribati as well as Tonga, Fiji, Solomon Islands and Samoa.

While speaking at the virtual presentation, SPTO Chief Executive, Christopher Cocker, highlighted that this assistance has benefitted both the tourism industry private sector and staff from National Tourism Organisations, all of whom had identified a need for capacity building opportunities during this period. Mr Cocker further noted that this assistance would enable an all-encompassing approach to tourism reactivation, which would help countries build back better, post-pandemic.

“SPTO has continuously monitored the needs of our members and tailored our response efforts accordingly. This is one such example of how we have ensured that our recovery assistance is hands-on and responsive to the needs of our membership and indeed the Pacific tourism industry”, he said.

Mr Cocker also acknowledged PIFS for their ongoing support under the Joint CROP SIS Programme, the course provider Rosie Academy and all the participants.

“Virtual learning certainly has its challenges in our region but through strong partnerships, with PIFS and the team at Rosie Academy, we were able to ensure that the learning platforms, course content and additional support were effective for all participants and this is evident in the high completion rates for each of the training. I’d also like to acknowledge and congratulate the participants for their commitment to further learning during this time of unparalleled challenge for our industry”.   

-ENDS-

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Further information on the capacity building initiative delivered under the Joint CROP SIS Programme can be accessed here and here.

Queries may be directed to sustainable@spto.org