For Lea Faccarello, the need to understand, experience the world, and get out of her comfort zone has always encouraged her to pursue and improve her personal and professional life. She believes there is no other option than respectful and responsible tourism towards the environment and the people as a traveller and tourism industry member.

The French national has been employed by the Vanuatu Tourism Office for the last three years as the Manager for Long Haul, Emerging & Domestic Markets. Lea admits that promotion and preservation are unfortunately not always two words that go together, as the negative impacts of tourism on small, undiscovered, and remote destinations like Vanuatu can be enormous.

Ms Faccarello believes tourism amplifies and promotes our culture and heritage. Pacific island countries can achieve Goal 3 of the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Policy Framework on Visible and Valued Cultures, by ensuring all its industry members become ambassadors who are passionate in rediscovering travel in their own country and leveraging community pride in promotional activities.

“We live in one of the most stunningly beautiful countries on earth. Sometimes, we take this fact for granted and forget to take the time to go and enjoy the plethora of tourist attractions, locations, and cultural experiences in our own country,” Ms Faccarello said.

“We should continue safeguarding and protecting our environment and cultural differences under glass. Our responsibility as a tourism office is critical in promoting sustainable and responsible tourism in such a fragile environment,” mentions Ms Faccarello.

Domestic Tourism Marketing Strategy (DTMS)

Ms Faccarello shared that back in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused Vanuatu and many Pacific Island countries to close their borders to international travel and tourism. Vanuatu was suddenly left without this influx of international visitors and consequently left small business owners without their usual means of income.

Many workers in the hospitality industry were also in danger of losing their jobs in the hospitality industry. However, the Government introduced a Crisis Response and Recovery Policy directive for supporting business continuity. This allowed the VTO to test a domestic marketing campaign, Sapotem Lokol Turism (Support Local Tourism).

The Sapotem Lokol Turism domestic campaign was trialled by VTO to encourage local expats and ni-Vanuatu locals to experience more of what this beautiful country has to offer.

“Within Vanuatu, traveling is highly regarded as being for international ‘tourists’. However, with the domestic trial campaign, many more people realised that they too can be tourists and enjoy the beauty and experiences Vanuatu offers. This domestic campaign also built on the strong consumer sentiment that existed within the community towards supporting local businesses through this difficult time,” Ms Faccarello said.

“So after a year of rolling out a successful domestic marketing campaign, it provided the evidence and basis for further exploring and developing the domestic tourism market. The country’s first-ever Domestic Tourism Marketing Strategy was developed and launched in June 2021 with the introduction of a consumer trade event hosted for 2 days in Port Vila and 1 day in Luganville, Santo, for engagement and interaction amongst operators and consumers.”

Ms Faccarello mentioned that the DTMS was identified under the Vanuatu Sustainable Tourism Strategy for the Office to review its efforts and start investing and growing the domestic tourist market by creating new marketing initiatives to further support and boost Vanuatu’s tourism industry.

Sports Tourism Program

The Vanuatu Tourism Office then developed sports tourism events over the past two years to elevate the positioning and reputation of Vanuatu as a sports tourism destination. Sports tourism is a niche market opportunity for Vanuatu’s domestic and international tourism markets.

The first event took place in 2021 on Tanna Island with a Vanuatu Volcano 25 km Elite Run at sea and finishing on the spectacular summit of Mt Yasur volcano. The VTO since then helped coordinate the Rally Tanna and the Grand Manaro Trek on Ambae Island.

“When you decide to travel for sports, you not only reap those benefits mentioned above, you also assist local businesses to grow through your direct spending on host accommodations, transportation, and tours. The experiences you get in return, the people you meet on the way, and the places you see are something far more valuable, and it stays with you forever,” Ms Faccarello said.

Ends