“Under the theme of “Rethinking Tourism”, World Tourism day 2022 is a good opportunity for the industry’s stakeholders to reflect on the critical need to transform tourism; towards a smarter, stronger, sustainable, resilient and inclusive Pacific Tourism Industry”

These were the sentiments shared by SPTO CEO, Christopher Cocker, when he featured on Fiji TV’s Breakfast Show earlier this week. Mr. Cocker also highlighted Tourism’s important role as a key economic driver and enabler of social mobility and empowerment for different segments of society.

“Tourism is a critical industry here in the Pacific. In 2019, through both direct and indirect links to the industry, tourism jobs accounted for one in ten jobs globally which translated to about 330 million jobs worldwide. In the Pacific, tourism employment was as high as 30-40% of total employment in some countries pre- pandemic, with women contributing significantly to those numbers”

“Moreover, the industry’s cross sectoral links to fisheries, transportation, agriculture and environment, to name a few, present many important opportunities for collaboration for the benefit of our people”, he said.

In terms of SPTO’s key focus areas in moving forward post- pandemic, Mr. Cocker explained that the organisation will be working closely with its membership to not only ensure recovery but to deliver tourism transformation guided by the 2050 Strategy of the Blue Pacific Continent and working through:

Formally recognized by the United Nations on 27^th September, World Tourism Day is aimed at raising awareness on the role of tourism within the international community. It is also used as a platform to demonstrate how it affects social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide.

The SPTO office celebrated with a morning tea, displays highlighting SPTO member countries and discussions on the relevance of this year’s theme in relation to the future of tourism in the Pacific.