Research and Statistics Update – October 2021

SPTO Board of Directors launch the SPTO Knowledge Hub

A new look, new name, new features and improved functionality for a seamless visitor experience.  Formerly the Regional Tourism Resource Centre, the SPTO Knowledge Hub was officially launched during the SPTO Board of Directors meeting on 27 October 2021.  The Knowledge Hub elevates the quality of user experience when searching for tourism information in the Pacific region.  Accessible through the SPTO website, the Knowledge Hub not only addresses user access issues but it has incorporated improved backend management support.  Following the training and handover process in the month of November, the new site link will be made widely accessible to all tourism stakeholders.  Certain reports and publications will be reserved for SPTO Private Sector Members and National Tourism Organisations only.  This project was made possible through the generous support of the Government of New Zealand through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.  The new site was developed by Acton Fiji.

Inaugural Pacific Islands Tourism Research Symposium registrations now open

The Division is gearing up for the inaugural Pacific Islands Tourism Research Symposium (PITRS) which will be hosted virtually on 30 November – 1^st December 2021.  Centered on the theme ‘Navigating uncertainty through research: Partnering for knowledge-based action in building Pacific Tourism forward’, the two day event brings together partners from across the Pacific including New Zealand and Australia to discuss issues that are pertinent to recovery and future sustainability of the tourism sector through research.

Supported by the Chime Live Platform and administered by Encore Event Technologies Ltd,  the Symposium hopes to engage researchers, tourism practitioners including industry members, Government agencies, academia, marketing agencies, development partners, regional and international organisations who have a role to play in tourism.  Some of the key outcomes from the symposium includes clarity on current research activity in the region, understanding the research needs and barriers and obtaining input from stakeholders on what a future Pacific Tourism Research Co-operation Framework entails. Such feedback will inform future cooperation to bridge the gap between research and practice. 

Registrations are now open and interested participants can register for the event by clicking here

Update on Reports

Quarter 2 Visitor Arrivals Snapshot;

The Quarter 2 2021 Visitor Arrivals Snapshot is now available and can be accessed here.

Market Watch

Interested in learning about the trends in the key source markets of the Pacific Islands? Read the September 2021 update of the Market Watch, which brings you information on outbound market trends by clicking here.

 2021 COVID-19 Impacts Snapshot 

Building on the 2020 COVID-19 Impacts Snapshot, the Division has released the 2021 COVID-19 Impacts Snapshot Update for the region.  The update has been compiled based on desktop research and intends to provide a broader scale overview of impacts on the sector since 2020.  You can access this report here.

Please direct any queries regarding the reports to research@spto.org