CEO SPTO, Ilisoni Vuidreketi with PT&I Sydney’s Trade Commissioner, Caleb Jarvis after the signing.

The South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) has signed a letter of collaboration with the Pacific Islands Trade & Invest (PT&I) office in Sydney, Australia to focus on the promotion of tourism investment in the 15 Pacific Island countries under the SPTO’s administration. Mr. Caleb Jarvis, Trade Commissioner of the Pacific Islands Trade & Invest Sydney signed the agreement with the SPTO CEO, Mr. Ilisoni Vuidreketi in Suva on Wednesday 12th December.

This letter of agreement flows from and is consistent with the signed Memorandum of Understanding between the SPTO and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), the parent organisation of PT&I, and will focus specifically on tourism investment.

Earlier this year, the SPTO commenced the implementation of the Pacific Regional Tourism Capacity Building Project which is one of four components under the South Pacific Economic Integration Through Trade (SPEITT) program, with the goal of strengthening capacity in the Pacific’s tourism industry.

With an aim to “strengthen national capacities in identifying and promoting investment opportunities”, and through the signing of this letter, the SPTO has formalised its partnership with PT&I for the effective promotion of investment across the Pacific’s tourism sector.

A number of initiatives will be jointly coordinated and implemented by the signatories including the development and management of an online database of tourism investment projects for the PICs; the identification and promotion of opportunities that will enhance the development of inward tourism investments in the Pacific which will include capacity building, education and training; and cross promoting each party’s activities and programs, to mention a few.

The agreement was effected on December 12th, 2012 and will remain in place until the completion of the PRTCBP in December 2014.