SPTE 2025 Media Session Sets the Stage for a New Chapter in Pacific Tourism

Tourism in the Pacific continues to evolve and adapt in a post-COVID world, as regional destinations redefine what it means to travel with purpose, authenticity, and sustainability. This year, the South Pacific Tourism Exchange (SPTE) 2025 kicked off with a landmark moment—the first-ever one-on-one media session hosted by the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) for international trade media and local Fijian press.

The dedicated media event spotlighted the recovery journeys and unique offerings of key tourism sellers from across the region, including New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Agnes Gateway (Solomon Islands), Koro Sun Resort, Serenity Island Resort, Tropical Adventures Fiji, and Holiday Inn Vanuatu.

While leisure travel continues to drive visitation in Fiji, French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, and Palau, business travel is holding steady in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Kiribati. Meanwhile, Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) travel is proving a powerful force in reconnecting diaspora communities with home, especially in Tonga, Samoa, and Niue.

“Tourism recovery is not about going back to what was—it’s about building forward better,” said SPTO CEO Christopher Cocker. “Vanuatu and New Caledonia’s participation at SPTE exemplifies the Pacific spirit of resilience, unity, and innovation.”

Indeed, both Vanuatu and New Caledonia stepped into SPTE 2025 with bold optimism and recovery-driven strategies. Vanuatu Tourism’s participation at the tradeshow covered a total of Eleven (11) tourism operators, including the national tourism office, promoting the destination and its offerings.

New Caledonia, represented by Nouvelle-Calédonie Tourisme (NCT), also returns to the regional stage following civil unrest.

“SPTE was an excellent opportunity for our destination—now stabilized and experiencing a tourism revival—to reaffirm that New Caledonia is open for business,” shared Julie Laronde, Managing Director of NCT. “We aimed to reassure tour operators, reconnect with our markets, and signal a confident step forward.”

“Tourism is not just about travel—it’s about people, purpose, and place,” Cocker said in his welcome remarks. “We need to rebuild smarter—balancing sustainability with visibility, and data with storytelling. Media plays a critical role in shaping that narrative.”