Solomon Islands Tourism Sector Benefits From Tourism Trainings

The South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) in partnership with the Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau conducted a series of hands-on training and awareness workshops in Honiara and Munda this week on sustainable tourism development, enhancement of tourism statistics compilation and customer service delivery amongst key industry stakeholders.
The workshops were conducted by staff of the SPTO with the aim of introducing the concept of sustainable tourism development and raising awareness amongst tourism stakeholders of the opportunities for Solomon Islands to move in this direction.  The workshops also aimed to build private sector capacity to raise their sustainability performance and to share experiences on how stakeholders can work towards building a sustainable tourist destination.
SPTO CEO Chris Cocker commented that “SPTO recognises sustainable tourism development as a new concept to the Pacific and we believe that it is vital that stakeholders fully appreciate the benefits and opportunities sustainability practices bring.”
“Sustainable tourism is all about protecting and conserving the natural environment upon which tourism depends, the economic returns that can be maximized through resource (energy, water and waste) management, and the revival of cultural practices that can benefit local people and communities and also provide jobs and business opportunities.  Importantly, we need to ensure that tourism statistics are accurate and made available on a timely basis for planning and decision making,” he added.
Participants at the two day workshop were also provided with hands-on training for the compilers of tourism statistics who were upskilled in delivering quality and timely data in accordance with international classifications and standards. This is to ensure that the country has robust quality data to inform planning and decision making.
The Tourism Statistics training is expected to contribute to a timely and quality Tourism Statistics report that will include other key macroeconomic indicators such as tourist receipts and expenditure, employment and GDP contributions.
It is anticipated that the practical experience acquired from such training workshops would go a long way into addressing capacity issues with the need for adoption of global statistical standards in classification, concepts and definition.
The workshops were targeted towards industry members including hotels, tour operators, Government agencies including Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Immigration, Customs, National Statistics Office, Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance.
SPTO is committed to the trainings and awareness workshops as it will help raise the quality of hospitality services and promote awareness. Support provided to the Western Tourism Association to facilitate the Customer Service training in Munda also included participants from Gizo in an effort to encourage progress in service delivery.
It was noted that the key to any successful destination is to meet and exceed customers’ expectations, with the need to raise the level of service delivery through ongoing customer service training.
The workshops are part and parcel of the services that SPTO provides to its member countries..
Photo caption: Participants of the SPTO Tourism Statistics and Sustainable Tourism Training @ Heritage Park Hotel, Honiara
 
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About SPTO
Established in 1983 as the Tourism Council of the South Pacific, the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) is the mandated organisation representing Tourism in the region. Its 18 Government members are American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and the People’s Republic of China. In addition to government members, the South Pacific Tourism Organisation enlists a private sector membership base.
 
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For more information, contact:
Alisi Lutu, Marketing Manager
South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO)
Email: alutu@spto.org or +679 3304177
 
(Source: South Pacific Tourism Organisation [SPTO] Press Release 25 August 2017)