Tourism leaders are meeting in Nadi this week amid concerns over the impact of increased fuel and transport prices and the threat of broader inflation as the war in the Middle East enters its fourth week.
Delegates to the South Pacific Tourism Exchange (SPTE) will hear from global speakers tomorrow on timely topics including crisis management, digital marketing and AI, and the regional aviation outlook before beginning a series of business meetings on Wednesday.
Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) CEO Chris Cocker notes the industry has a track record in displaying resilience despite previous challenges, in particular COVID-19.
Cocker says while they are still awaiting the final figures for 2025, arrivals for 2024 were only 8.9% short of 2019’s figures (the last pre-Covid data). He says this recovery was remarkable, given the zero-starting point after border closures and lockdowns.
Cocker says notably, spending per visitor was higher, and notwithstanding the current environment, large tourism properties are forecasting high occupancy after a first-quarter lull.
He says while air connectivity remains a key challenge, there are opportunities.
“The new traveller as we know is more environmentally responsible, is looking for a unique experience and also looking to give back to communities. So I think the key challenge for us in the region is to be sustainable, and to be ready for these visitors. And a lot of us are going through that development stage preparing for them. So the demand is there. We just need to be prepared and have the products ready for that.”
SPTO has been working on environmental sustainability for some years, in particular development of cultural and marine guidelines and the like. Cocker says the impact of that work has not been measured as yet, and that implementation is in the hands of member countries.
Much of this work has been funded by development partners, and Cocker notes the shrinking of development funds across the board is seeing many partners focus on country-specific support.
But he stresses there are areas that need regional cooperation: “There are things countries cannot do on their own, and need to be done on a regional basis… And they are destination management, sustainable tourism development, aviation and connectivity. The other one is research and data, that’s something that needs a collective effort, and regional marketing, having a regional brand.”
While geopolitics and the Middle East war will no doubt be on the mind’s of industry leaders this week, some global analysts suggest it might not all be bad news, with travellers potentially seeking peaceful and remote locations such as those of the Pacific Islands region.
The South Pacific Tourism Exchange will see 30 countries represented (17 Pacific countries and 16 source markets), and 157 organisations on the floor.
