Spread the love

The South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) will be participating at the annual ITB (Internationale Tourismus-Börse) Berlin tradeshow to be held in Berlin, Germany from 6-10 March 2019. SPTO will be joined by five country members.

Member countries are represented by their national tourism offices and these include Cook Islands Tourism Corporation, New Caledonia Tourism, Samoa Tourism Authority, Vanuatu Tourism and the Solomon Island Visitors Bureau.  Private sector participants are Turama Pacific, Air Caledonie International and Noumea Discovery Travel Company

SPTO Chief Executive Officer Chris Cocker said it is encouraging to see member countries and the private sector consistently participating in the ITB, “Tourist arrivals from Europe rose considerably by 12% in the second quarter of 2018. French Polynesia was the top destination for the European market but we also saw significant increases in Kiribati, Tuvalu, Fiji, Timor Leste, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands and Marshall Islands.”

“As the largest global tourism trade fair, the ITB provides opportunities for our member countries to increase key networks and enter new markets by creating business opportunities through sales leads and introducing new products and services. The popularity of the ITB attracts quality buyers which is beneficial for Pacific sellers. These in turn help meet SPTO objectives to maintain our market presence in Europe and strengthen the positioning of our South Pacific Islands brand,” said Mr. Cocker.

Some of the activities SPTO will be promoting at the ITB are the South Pacific Specialist competition for travel agents’ ‘Win an 8 nights Famil trip to French Polynesia’, the online Pacific Cruise Microsite, which features the Pacific Cruise Manual and the upcoming South Pacific Tourism Exchange in Auckland, New Zealand on 9 – 10 May, 2019.

“These activities complement our member countries that will be showcasing the unique tourism services and products they sell while networking and conducting business with travel agencies, tour operators, airlines and journalists,” Mr. Cocker said.

The ITB Berlin is the world’s largest tourism trade fair and attracts thousands of participants from the global travel and tourism industry and SPTO has been participating for over a decade.