Samoa was among several member countries of the inter-Government South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) that are meeting in person in the Cook Islands for the first time since 2019.
The programme for the SPTO Board of Directors Meeting, Pacific Sustainable Tourism Leadership Summit and Tourism Council of Ministers Meeting was held in Rarotonga from 31st October to 4th November.
At the meetings, SPTO provided updates and sought guidance and endorsement for strategic issues from the organisation’s member countries.
Following the endorsement of the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Policy Framework (PSTPF) in 2021 by the Council of Ministers, a key topic of discussion was SPTO’s transformational positioning as an entity that is a global leader in sustainable tourism as part of collective efforts to ensure that by 2030, the region is empowered by and benefiting from tourism that is resilient, prosperous and inclusive.
Samoa’s delegation was headed by the Minister of Tourism, Hon. Toeolesulusulu Cedric Pose Schuster and Samoa Tourism Authority CEO Pativaine Petaia-Tevita.
