Minister of Tourism meets with South Pacific Tourism Organization Executive Director

Tourism Minister Nicole Bouteau met Thursday with South Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO) Executive Director Christopher Cocker, who came to Tahiti for the Pacific Business Days. French Polynesia is one of the 17 member countries of the SPTO.

The organization has 120 private members, including four Tahiti companies: Tahiti Nui Travel, South Pacific Management, Tekura Travel and Tahiti Tours.

Mr. Cocker thanked the Minister and the Government of French Polynesia for the invitation to Pacific Business Days. He spoke on regional tourism with Bud Gilroy, president of the Tahiti Cruise Club, a member of the South Pacific Cruise Alliance, and Stephanie Betz, coordinator of the South Pacific Sailing Network. The theme generated good participation from the delegations present. Indeed, the development of regional tourism is important for Pacific island states and territories. The SPTO hopes that the findings and actions of this meeting will be presented at the next meetings of the Pacific Islands Forum.

Christopher Cocker hopes that the approach initiated in Polynesia in 2017 to develop links, synergies and exchanges between South Pacific island destinations in the fields of yachting, yachting and sailing, will be presented to the members of the Council. of the SPTO and the Council of Pacific Tourism Ministers to be held next October. The South Pacific Sailing Network, this recent initiative of the actors of the nautical tourism and the pleasure of the islands of Tahiti, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand and New Caledonia, to join forces is to salute, the collaborations to regional scale is needed. A partnership between the SPTO and the South Pacific Sailing Network is being considered

The director general of the SPTO also attended the second morning of ParauParau Tahiti, organized by Tahiti Tourisme, during which it discussed the growth opportunities of the Australian and New Zealand markets.

The Minister, for her part, stressed the interest of the country in any step towards strengthening regional cooperation, especially in the field of tourism and training of Pacific youth, which is perfectly in line with the expressed wish by Chris Cocker to establish a program of exchanges and training for Polynesian students, who could be welcomed in the SPTO throughout the year.