Vanuatu tourism

The Chief Executive Officer of Vanuatu Tourism Office (VTO), Adela Issachar Aru, said this is an awaited opportunity to reconnect and rebuild relationships between buyers and sellers to discuss their businesses in market and in destination.

“We look forward to working with the Trade, Industry, Partners, Sponsors, and others who are ready to be part of the 2023 TOKTOK Vanuatu.”

Pio brings with him a vast experience in the sector after he served as the Chief Executive Officer at South Sea Shipping Ltd.

He was then appointed as the Manager for Marketing and Communication at Air Vanuatu.

Pio was appointed to his new role on Wednesday.

He succeeds Jerry Spooner, whose contract has ended.

The former Director of Fisheries, William Navitihas also resigned after carrying out duties as Acting Tourism Director.

InvestPacific will be the first private investment fund targeting only the Pacific, it is being set up by the New Zealand government, and was announced last week.

The fund is aimed at strengthening the region's investment environment, and promoting investment opportunities.

While details are limited at this stage, it is expected to attract almost $60 million - with the government already committing an initial $17m, and an additional $40m to come from private investment.

Association chairperson Calvin Rhodes said he was disappointed by comments from the director-general at the Prime Minister's Office, Gregoire Nimbtik, that the government does not have a plan to reopen the borders.

"I think it was very concerning actually, and really [highlighted] the shortfalls of the government's planning for vaccination for the countries reopening targets."

Rhodes said Vanuatu needs to keep Covid-19 out of the country due to the limitations of its health care system.

The strategy is another way that VTO is Answering the Call of Vanuatu.

Vanuatu Tourism said, “One of the few positives to emerge from the global Covid-19 pandemic is the opportunity that it has given VTO to be able to trial a domestic tourism marketing campaign, Sapotem Lokol Turisim.”

VTO have been trialing this campaign to encourage more Ni-Vanuatu and expatriate residents to experience more of what Vanuatu has to offer.

Tourism Director, Jerry Spooner said they have appointed Carissa Jacobe as the new National Coordinator of the TBSP and she will join the current DoT Management team.

“The TBSP is based on a needs analysis from a number of recent business surveys and stakeholder consultations and has two main objectives,” Spooner explained.

The support programme aims to financially support and assist tourism businesses to survive the impacts of the Covid crisis and to have them ready to receive tourists when international borders are open again.

The event will see collaborative discussions and validation workshops for the recovery of Vanuatu’s tourism industry.

This is to ensure destination wellbeing, resilience, diversification, and sustainability.

The Tourism Week is being supported by the Vanuatu Government, Department of Tourism, Vanuatu Tourism Office, New Zealand Government and Vanuatu Skills Partnership.

 The statistics stood at 21, 965 indicating a fall of 2% over the corresponding quarter in 2019 and also declined by 34% over the previous quarter.

This was confirmed by the Vanuatu National Statistics Office in its March quarterly report which was recently released.

The country was to have recorded over 80,000 visitors arriving in the country by both aeroplanes and ships from January to March this year.

According to Vanuatu’s Daily Post on Friday, Vanuatu’s Crew-Center said that the number of cruise ships for the island of Santo in 2020 keeps decreasing while two other ports in Vanuatu, the beautiful Mystery Island and Port Vila’s cruise numbers keep hiking from the previous year.

Leaders from Pangi shed tears during the meeting as they called for boats to return to watch the annual Nangol, or Pentecost Land Dive.

In the past, the event has attracted people from all over the world to watch men plunge from a wooden tower as high as 100 metres with a custom-made bush vines tied to their ankles.

However, the Nangol was halted due to a local land dispute.