News

Samoa Tourism Authority (STA) recently hosted a series of face-to-face destination updates in Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane to inform key trade and media partners on developments. The engagements took place on the back of easing restrictions across the key gateways and the main objective was to provide updates on […]

COVID-19 and its immense impact on tourism at the regional and global level is the key driver in the tourism sector’s efforts to ensure employees across the industry are adequately protected.  As Samoa continues to receive repatriation flights and with travel ready preparations for a travel bubble underway, the Authority […]

BANGKOK, April 22, 2021 — The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Liz Ortiguera as its next Chief Executive Officer effective May 17, 2021, succeeding Dr. Mario Hardy who will finish his term at the end of May. The announcement was made at the […]

The National Cruise Tourism Management Committee (NCTMC) has been officially established and endorsed by the Council of Ministers on the 4th March 2021. The committee will be chaired by the Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Tourism, Trade, Industry, Cooperatives and Ni-Vanuatu Business and will act as the peak […]

As announced by the Permanent Secretary today, we have 6 new border quarantine cases and 2 new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19. The 2 new locally transmitted cases are the 14 year old daughter and 7 month old son of case 78, who is the 40-year-old female from Wainitarawau in […]

The heads of the three branches of government say getting vaccinated is important to further protect family and Nauru. President Lionel Aingimea, Speaker of Parliament Marcus Stephen and Chief Justice Taniela Fatiaki, and their spouses are among the first to receive their first dose of the COVAX AstraZeneca vaccine on […]

Hilton (NYSE: HLT) has released its 2020 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report, which highlights the company’s continued commitment to redefining sustainable travel and driving positive impact on people and the planet. Through Hilton’s Travel with Purpose program, the company continues to take important steps to integrate positive social impact and environmental […]

Global hotel chains IHG Hotels & Resorts and Accor add their hotels to the thousands already certified as sustainable across Hotelbeds’ 180,000 strong portfolio. This turn-key programme means certified properties are identified, highlighted and promoted through a special green filter to the 60,000 travel trade buyers that partner with Hotelbeds. […]

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged states to comply with recommendations on international travel from the World Health Organization’s International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee on testing and risk management during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, IATA highlighted the following recommendations for states: “Do not require proof of vaccination as a […]

he World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Facebook have partnered to help global destinations make use of the power of digital marketing as they look to welcome tourists back safely. Over the past year, the United Nations specialized agency for tourism has been supporting its Member States on a series of […]

Here is a country that values tourism, after all, it represents 28% of their total GDP and therefore it deserves the attention and initiatives that the Maldives is putting in. The Maldives has been one of the steadiest and most reliable destinations for travel during covid-19. The country has remained […]

For New Zealand wholesale and retail businesses seeking unique, handmade, fairly-traded products, the Nama Fiji and Rise Beyond the Reef brands tick so many boxes. New Zealanders are known for being more conscious and responsible than the average buyer; the importance of buying quality, community-made products is evident in the […]

Samoa Tourism is celebrating Earth Day with the rest of the world on the theme ‘Restore our Earth’, while with no official date having been announced for a travel bubble with Samoa, the Samoa Tourism Authority is nonetheless preparing for international travel to resume. As a Pacific Island and being […]

The UNDP Micro-credentials for the Tourism Sector project for Kiribati has been deemed a success by the Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC), the organisation tasked to implement the project across the Pacific. Two online courses, Digital Literacy Essentials, and Communication Technologies for Business Success were included in this project and […]

Cruise lines launching operations this summer are quickly crewing up their ships, but face a number of challenges in ramping up crew numbers. With ships in warm lay up, vessels that would have normally had around 1,000 crew members may have been operating with roughly 100 in most cases. Not […]

Variety Cruises has announced it will restart operations in May with its signature eight-day itinerary “Jewels of the Cyclades” aboard the Galileo. The cruise starts in Athens and then sails to Polyaigos, Folegandros, Syros, Santorini, Paros, Mykonos, and other stops, according to a press release from the Greek family-owned brand.  […]

PNG’s visitor numbers were trending up in the years before COVID-19 struck in early 2020. The nation was on a roll with its natural assets and adventure options of surfing, diving, birdwatching and trekking, particularly along the Kokoda Trail. It had also seen the opening of new properties in recent years, including […]

The Islands of Tahiti will reopen to international visitors for tourism purposes on May 1, and today the territory released details on the entry and testing requirements for visitors from the United States and other countries. From April 24, travelers bound for French Polynesia will be able to register the details of […]

Air Chathams will resume weekly return flights from Auckland on Thursdays commencing 27 May 2021. Flight time will be around two hours 45 minutes departing Auckland 10.30am and arriving back around 4.45pm same day aboard one of Air Chathams’ fleet of Saab 340 turbo-prop aircraft which will offer cabin for […]