Pacific Tourism Organisation Releases July – December 2023 IVS Report in cooperation with Vanuatu Tourism Office

In collaboration with the Vanuatu Tourism Office, the Pacific Tourism Organisation, through its Pacific Tourism Data Initiative (PTDI), shared findings from its ongoing consumer research, offering valuable data and insights into the country’s value of tourism products, services, and economic growth.

The International Visitor Survey (IVS) data, collected over six months (July to December 2023), is based on official visitor arrival data by source market provided by the Vanuatu Tourism Office. During this period, 1,075 responses, representing 1,630 adults and 262 children.

These responses account for four percent of visitors between July and December 2023. Vanuatu witnessed approximately 53,875 international arrivals (by air), bringing in approximately 107 million USD to Vanuatu’s economy

In their responses to the surveys, respondents cited several influential factors in their decision to travel to Vanuatu, including:

• • • Experience of a different culture
    • Quiet and relaxing atmosphere
    • Range of natural attractions, outdoor activities, and experiences
    • Weather

In acknowledging the collaboration, SPTO CEO Christopher Cocker explained that the PTDI is a research project funded by the New Zealand Government, specifically designed to collect and report on tourism information.

Mr Cocker also highlighted that the PTDI team had conducted in-house training earlier this year. Workshops for all ten countries under the PTDI initiative allow knowledge sharing among participating countries, tourism stakeholders, and international partners to facilitate the exchange of best practices, lessons learned, and innovative approaches to tourism data collection and analysis.

“Data is King and is the cornerstone for decision-making, developing plans, and strategies. The next update for the 2024 (January-June 2024 IVS Report) will be ready by October 2024. The data insights released empower local stakeholders, including government agencies, tourism operators, and community organisations, to participate actively in tourism data collection and management processes,” Mr. Cocker stated.

Echoing similar sentiments, SPTO Board Chair Lady and CEO of the Vanuatu Tourism Office, Adela Issachar Aru, thanked MFAT for the funding support through SPTO for the delivery of the Pacific Tourism Data Initiative (PTDI).

She mentioned that the PTDI benefits Vanuatu by empowering the VTO and the industry to make strategic and informed decisions in the sector’s recovery.

“The International Visitors Survey is critical and valuable consumer research for Vanuatu as it provides data and insights into tourist characteristics, sentiment on products and services offered, and spending behaviour,” Ms Issachar Aru said.

The PTDI is a pivotal project aimed at gathering, analyzing, and reporting on tourism data to support evidence-based decision-making by government tourism agencies, businesses, and communities in the Pacific. The initiative leads the implementation and collection of data for the Digital Measurement and Benchmarking Dashboard, which sets standards for marketing and sustainable tourism indicators in the Pacific region. The PTDI is a component of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (NZMFAT) funded SPTO Phase 2 project on Pacific Digital Tourism Transformation, committed to enabling evidence-based decision-making through the annual publication of three pivotal reports: a bi-annual International Visitor Survey (IVS), an annual Business Confidence Index (BCI), and an annual Community Attitude Survey (CAS) from ten Pacific Island nations (Cook Islands, Niue, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, Kiribati, Timor Leste, and FSM-Yap).