Pacific tourism reps attend expo

The National Main Stories

South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) representatives were in Port Moresby attending PNG’s biggest tourism and trade expo this week.
Held yearly, Lukim PNG Nau was steered by the PNG Tourism Industry Association (PNGTIA) in partnership with the Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority (PNGTPA).
The event hosted more than 40 local tourist operators and about 30 international travel agents or buyers, who met and shared tourist information on a scheduled appointment basis.
SPTO used the opportunity to raise awareness of the tourism development and marketing services it offers to its private sector members and conducted a private sector membership drive for the local operators.
PNGTPA also organised a tourist marketing workshop and a national conference last week, ahead of Lukim PNG Nau.
SPTO chief executive officer Chris Cocker delivered presentations at both forums, providing an update on regional perspectives on tourism and Papua New Guinea’s performance in regional tourism.
“Papua New Guinea’s visitor arrivals have gradually increased over the last five years, indicative of strong efforts at the national level to strengthen the country’s profile in its target markets,” Cocker said.
“Clearly, national events like the Lukim PNG Nau are an excellent platform to further promote the visibility of this vibrant destination and its diverse tourism products.”
SPTO will also use the opportunity to promote its South Pacific specialist programme to  visiting travel agents. The programme is an accredited online training programme that helps international travel agents to learn about and sell the Pacific Island destinations with greater confidence in their business.
The tourism industry in Papua New Guinea is a growing one.
In 2018, the country will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, with about 20,000 delegates expected.
This poses some significant challenges in terms of infrastructure and training and SPTO hopes to work closely with Papua New Guinea’s  national tourism office to address these areas.
Based in Suva, the South Pacific Tourism Organisation works with 16 Pacific Island countries, their tourism sector to market and develop tourism in the South Pacific region.