SPTO targets MSMEs, youth and young professionals

The South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) has introduced two new categories under its Private Sector Membership Program to target Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) as well as youth and young professionals.

In introducing the new categories Pacific Dawn and Pacific Pearl, SPTO Chief Executive Officer Chris Cocker said: “SPTO considers Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises as important members because they make the bulk of our regional tourism industry and are responsible for driving economic growth in Pacific Island Countries. On the other hand, our youth and young professionals are the future tourism leaders of the region.”

“The introduction of these new categories underscores SPTO’s efforts towards greater self-sustainability and requires that beneficiaries take greater ownership by accessing essential services on a user-pay basis. This is aligned with the changes that international donors and development partners are seeking for the funding support they provide towards sustainable development initiatives,” he added.

“SPTO membership will enable both of these groups to take advantage of the cutting edge tourism research and statistics and market intelligence that SPTO produces exclusively for its members.”

Pacific Pearl is aimed at MSMEs with annual membership priced at F$150 per year while Pacific Dawn is aimed at youth and young professionals and costs F$70 per year.

SPTO’s Private Sector Membership Program delivers a wide range of benefits to its members, including exclusive access to national, regional and international tourism development and marketing initiatives as well as technical advice and expertise on critical areas of sustainable tourism development.

The benefits and service offerings of the program have also been revamped to appeal to a wider range of stakeholders. Previous categories remain. They are Pacific Star (F$330/year), Pacific Jewel (F$500/year), and Pacific Premium (F$750 year).

 

Photo file Pacific youth