Update from Research and Stats

A comprehensive review of the SPTO Tourism Insights Programme was conducted by Eagles Consultancy early this month to evaluate the current state of the programmes and platforms available and provide recommendations to benefit SPTO members and partners.

The review involved a detailed SWOT analysis, analyzing feedback from online surveys and consultation with partners and stakeholders on their experience as end users. Some of these programmes and platforms include the Regional Tourism Resource Center (RTRC) which is an online repository of tourism statistics and over 2000 publications and reports.  It also includes outbound market updates, visitor arrivals snapshot reports, e-newsletters and social media platforms.  The Insights Programme plays a crucial role in supporting the Research & Statistics Strategic objectives.  The review is part of the Organisational Development and COVID Tourism Recovery Programme funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The Sustainability and Research Division has also been working closely with IDEEA Group on the development of the Pacific Tourism Statistics Strategy (PTSS) on a draft of the PTSS, which is undergoing a review process with member countries, partners and stakeholders. Supported and reviewed by National Tourism Offices, National Statistic Offices, technical advisers and partners, the PTSS together with the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Policy Framework (PSTPF) aims to build back a responsible and resilient tourism industry that is able to continue to evolve sustainably into the future.

The 2021 Tourism Private Sector Survey was completed on 23 April and aimed to capture impacts of the pandemic on employment and business operations and identify ‘training needs’ to support the recovery process.  A total of 146 responses were received from the Private Sector in Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Tonga, Fiji, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Niue, Papua New Guinea and Samoa. Five National Tourism Offices also responded to the Survey and included Kiribati, Tokelau, Samoa, Tonga and Cook Islands. 

SPTO would like to acknowledge the National Tourism Offices (NTOs) and Private Sector tourism businesses that have contributed to the survey so far. The information provided will help SPTO and its partners with recovery planning and resource mobilization efforts with partners.

The SPTO’s Market Watch issue which provides information on outbound market trends for March 2021 is now available and can be accessed here.