Pacific Tourism Organisation Unveils Ground-breaking Data Training Program in Solomon Islands

In a significant milestone, the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) launched the Pacific Tourism Data Initiative (PTDI) and introduced the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Indicators Framework training in the Solomon Islands in February.

Spearheaded by the SPTO, and teaming up with Tourism Solomons on this occasion, the PTDI New Zealand Government funded research project includes the implementation and collection of data for the Digital Measurement and Benchmarking Dashboard, setting standards for marketing and sustainable tourism indicators in the Pacific region.

Covering 10 Pacific Island nations, including the Cook Islands, Niue, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, Kiribati, Timor Leste, and FSM-Yap, the PTDI project is designed to support evidence-based planning and decision-making. It includes the production of a bi-annual International Visitor Survey (IVS), an annual Business Confidence Index (BCI), and an annual Community Attitude Survey (CAS) report, providing invaluable insights into community awareness and attitudes towards tourism.

SPTO Chief Executive Officer Christopher Cocker emphasised that the PTDI is a research project specifically tailored to collect and report on tourism information, while the Digital Measurement and Benchmarking Programme play a crucial role in SPTO’s monitoring and evaluation function.

Underlining the importance of data in decision-making, Mr. Cocker emphasized, the pivotal role of data quality, and precision through standardized protocols, rigorous quality control, and adept data validation techniques. It is also imperative to encourage awareness and utilisation of Pacific Sustainable Tourism Indicators (PSTI) to analyse and gauge the sustainability of tourism activities and understand key sustainability indicators, collect related data, and seamlessly integrate sustainability considerations into the tourism planning and decision-making processes.”

Tourism Solomons Acting CEO Dagnal Dereveke, acknowledged the value of the training, stating, “The provisions of these trainings are great as they broaden our knowledge on different tools, assisting the research and statistics teams in their daily work.”

Expressing the benefits of the digital tools, Ministry of Culture and Tourism Principal Trainer Rachael “The digital tools are great for us with their user-friendly features. More practical sessions on this will enable us to capture and analyze data more efficiently.”

Solomon Islands National Statistics Officer Desmond emphasized the necessity of these tools, stating, “We need this tool to make our work more efficient. More practice and more training on this will help us master the tool and enhance our research and data analysis skills.”