News

The Pacific Agribusiness Research in Development Initiative (PARDI2) and International Finance Corporation (IFC), alongside the Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF) and the Pacific Island Farmers Organisation Network (PIFON), invite you to attend an AgriTourism Experiences Talanoa.  The event will be held at Tokatoka Resort, Nadi, Fiji from 27 – 28 […]

The coming year will no doubt be another exciting one for the cruise industry. According to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), cruise passenger volume has been growing since it began tracking in 2009. At that time, just 17.8 million passengers had cruised. Nine years later, CLIA forecasted 28 million passengers to cruise in […]

Ms. Madisen Hiebert, a Business Administration student from Manitoba, Canada has recently joined the SPTO team in Suva for a 3-month internship.  Madisen is the second intern from the Semester in Development-Fiji program coordinated by Insights Global Education, a Vancouver-based social enterprise with a mission to change the attitudes and […]

The Pacific tourism industry is poised to benefit from the China Pacific Tourism Year initiative announced by President Xi Jinping during the Pacific Leaders’ meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting last November. South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) Chief Executive Officer Chris Cocker made the comment while conveying his Chinese […]

Samoa has become the latest Pacific island country to enforce a ban on single-use plastics in a bid to address the growing issue of plastic pollution. The Waste (Plastic Ban) Management Regulation 2018 was officially endorsed by Cabinet of the Government of Samoa in 2018 to manage the plastic problem […]

The refurbishment of Plantation Island Resorts Kids Pool was due to be completed at the end of February 2019. The refurbishment has been completed early with pool being be completely retiled, handle rails applied to the stairs and anti-slip applied to the outside areas of the pool. The  have also […]

While tourism already directly contributed to more than 12% of the total GDP for Pacific island economies in 2016, the World Travel & Tourism Council has forecast a further increase of 5 – 6% per annum for the tourism sector’s share to GDP in the Pacific between 2017 and 2027. […]

As new technologies create a growing demand for metals and minerals, mining companies and governments are demonstrating a growing interest in exploring the potential commercial benefits arising from seabed resources such as seafloor massive sulphides, manganese nodules and cobalt-rich crusts. However, the deep-sea ocean floor is home to a diversity […]

Warm Pacific Greetings from the South Pacific Tourism Organisation We are committed to working with our members, partners, supporters and friends in progressing the industry in 2019. A key theme of our work this year is re-affirming our Blue Pacific Identity. This follows on from of the successful 2018 Council […]

The Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) is the premier annual gathering of entrepreneurs, investors, and innovative thinkers that underscores the United States’ commitment to entrepreneurship and innovation.  The 2019 GES will be held in partnership with the Dutch government June 4-5, 2019 at the World Forum in The Hague, Netherlands. Approximately […]

Tourism is the backbone of Fiji’s economy but it’s under threat; the Pacific island paradise and many of the vibrant coral reefs that hundreds of tourists, particularly Australians, come to see have been killed off in mass coral bleaching events. But could “coral gardening” restore these reefs, and in doing […]

On November 12th, 2018 on a rainy and cold day in Suva, I drove up early to Pacific Harbour with my childhood friend Una who was on holiday from Australia. We were going to do the shark dive and it wasn’t the first time for the both of us. The […]

A total of 920 recycled wine bottles have been used to create a unique and attractive Christmas tree at the Fiji Gateway Hotel in Nadi. Raffe Hotels and Resorts Director of Sales, Marketing and Strategic Develop­ment Akshay Singh said the idea of using the empty wine bottles came about when […]

Honourable Ministers Excellencies Ladies and gentlemen Thank you for giving the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat this opportunity. Climate change is the single greatest threat faced by our region. Our countries have identified adaptation and mitigation priorities, but our efforts can be further strengthened with enhanced access to international climate finance. […]

URGENT action on ocean and climate change is needed to save small island states, coastal communities and marine life all over the world. This was the message emphasised at the ‘Friends of the Ocean – Update and Moving Forward’ side event in the Pacific and Koronivia Pavilion at the UN’s […]

On November 10th, 2018 I was lucky enough to participate in my very first 2-tank shark dive led by Beqa Adventure Divers (BAD) in Pacific Harbour. Early Saturday, myself and 8 other divers hopped on a boat and headed to the Shark Reef Marine Reserve. The two dives were accompanied […]

This week members of the Pacific Islands Forum will join the global community in Poland for COP24, a meeting of the United Nations aimed at tackling the issue of climate change. In the region’s new security declaration (the Boe Declaration), Forum Leaders recently reaffirmed that climate change presents the single […]

The New Zealand Cruise Association (NZCA) has collaborated with Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the Australian Cruise Association (ACA) to release the first Cruise Industry Sustainability Guide in the region. ‘The cruise industry has become an important part of our tourism economy in New Zealand,’ says Kevin O’Sullivan, chief […]

Boeing has delivered the first 737 MAX for Fiji Airways, which plans to use the fuel-efficient, longer-range version of the popular 737 jet to expand and modernize its single-aisle fleet. Fiji Airways Managing Director and CEO Andre Viljoen says they are thrilled to take delivery of their very first 737 MAX […]

Opposition Member of Parliament Lenora Qereqeretabua says the government should phase out the use plastic bottles in the parliament area. Qereqeretabua says almost 100 bottles are used per day with even more used and discarded in a week. She says there is a need to walk the talk on being […]