WTO Executive Council Strongly Supports Frangialli's Re-election
The governing body of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) has given strong support to current Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli in his bid to be re-elected for a further four-year term. Twenty of the 28 votes cast at the WTO Executive Council meeting in the Bulgarian Black Sea resort town of Nessebar on Monday (13 June) were in favour of Mr. Frangialli. The final decision as to who fills the post from 1 January, 2006 until the end of 2009 will be taken at the WTO General Assembly, which opens 25 November in Dakar, Senegal. In the past, the General Assembly has always followed the recommendation of the Executive Council. Nominated by France, Mr Frangialli was competing against Dr. Tanya Abrahamse of South Africa and Dimitar Hadjinikolov of Bulgaria. For more information on this article, visit the following link: http://www.world-tourism.org/newsroom/Releases/2005/June/frangialli.htm (Source: WTO News Releases 14/06/2005)

Air New Zealand Looks for New Chief Executive Officer
Air New Zealand has began a global search for a new chief executive after the decision by Ralph Norris to resign to head the Commonwealth Bank, says Sydney Daily Telegraph. Air NZ chairman John Palmer said the airline was well positioned and that the new CEO would take the airline forward in a tough and highly competitive market. "Now is an appropriate time for the company to be seeking a new CEO to drive the business in what continues to be a very challenging and highly competitive environment," Mr Palmer said in an Australian Associated Press report. (Source: Travel Wire News 14/06/2005)

More Hotel Rooms Vital (Fiji)
Fiji needs to build 400 rooms a year until 2010 to keep up with the demand from the tourism industry, according to the Fiji Visitors Bureau. The assumption is from a study or room inventory the Bureau conducted recently based on a very "pessimistic" view of 65 per cent occupancy and 1.8 per cent yield. Bureau director Marketing Jo Tuamoto said Fiji would be needing an investment in accommodation of around $140million a year for the next six years. Fiji is performing better than other South Pacific Island countries. The estimated annual tourism growth of 9 per cent until 2007 is above the global 10-year average of 4.5 per cent and the Asia-Pacific region average of 5.1 per cent. Last year, hotels along the Coral Coast recorded the most occupancy with about 83 per cent followed by the Mamanucas with 78 per cent. Nadi hotels recorded 71 per cent, Suva 63 per cent and the North with about 50 per cent. Mr Tuamoto said some of the multi-million developments under way included the Taunovo Bay Resort (125 rooms), Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa (296 rooms), Natadola Marine Resort (285 rooms), Marriot Resort/Fiji Ritz Carlton (250 rooms), Hilton Fiji Beach Resort and Spa- Denarau (489 rooms), Trendwest Resort Timeshare- Denarau (64 rooms), Golf Terrace Apartments-Denarau (88 rooms) Raddison Resort-Denarau (125 villas), Likuliku Island Resort (80 rooms) Shangri-La Natadola (300 rooms) and Sonaisali Resort (80 rooms). He said Fiji would have around 610,000 visitors by 2007. He said Fiji had lost forever around $2billion because of the 1987 coup and the current record visitor arrivals (500,000 last year) could have been achieved three years ago. However, the Bureau emphasised responsible tourism development to ensure that it "did not result in the erosion of our culture". Mr Tuamoto said the Bureau would concentrate on strengthening the brand 'Fiji'. He said in 1982, 97 per cent of tourists had rated Fijians as "most favourable" but this number had dwindled to 76 per cent last year. (Source: Fiji Times 17/06/2005)

French Polynesia President Visits Australia
French Polynesia's President Oscar Temaru is this week in Australia, where most of his four-day visit is dedicated to fish farming and tourism, Temaru's office said in a release.Temaru, who is leading a delegation also comprising fisheries minister Keitapu Maamaatuaiahutapu, is visiting Tuesday and Wednesday a tuna farm near Port Lincoln, in South Australia. Temaru said he and his fisheries minister were considering setting up a similar project in French Polynesia's Hao atoll, in the Tuamotu archipelago (Northeast of the main island of Tahiti). Another chapter of Temaru's visit, on Thursday, is to meet Tahiti tourism representative at their Sydney office, ahead of the introduction early July of a direct link between Pape'ete and Sydney, aboard Air Tahiti Nui's newly acquired Airbus. Earlier this year, French Polynesia has launched a major campaign targeting Australia as one of its key source markets. The strategy hinges on the introduction on July 9 of twice-weekly direct flights between the French South Pacific country and Sydney. French Polynesia's Vice-President and tourism minister Jacqui Drollet, who was in Sydney in March this year to support the campaign, said tourism was now regarded as an essential development tool to make French Polynesia more self-sufficient financially. Drollet said the March promotional flight to Australia was only the beginning of an ongoing campaign in Australia, with a budget of about one million US dollars.He said the initial target was to bring about twelve thousand Australian tourists to French Polynesia by 2008. (Source: Oceania Flash News 15/06/2005)

Relax Immigration Laws (Fiji)
The Fiji Visitors Bureau wants immigration laws relaxed to take advantage of a huge interest being shown by Chinese nationals. Bureau chief executive Viliame Gavoka said major agents of the Chinese tourism market spoke of hardships experienced by Chinese nationals trying to make group bookings. Mr Gavoka said immigration laws made it difficult for Chinese nationals travelling in groups to acquire bookings. He said Fiji and China should streamline operations regarding the provision of visas for Chinese tourists travelling in groups. "Fiji should follow the way of the bigger countries around us like Australia and New Zealand," he said. "We are recommending several laws be relaxed so Chinese nationals can get group visas and bookings more easily and we can take advantage of this huge market." Questions sent to the Director of Immigration Eroni Luveniyali were not answered yesterday. Mr Gavoka said it was the first time major Chinese agents had taken part in the BFTE show since its introduction 10 years ago and they showed great interest in the local market. He said the bureau was trying to work closely with China's established agents to ensure Fiji was promoted as a holiday destination. He said with tourism already on track to achieve its goal of a billion-dollar industry by 2007, such provisions would launch the country to the forefront of international tourism. Fiji Hotel Association president Dixon Seeto said the BFTE show had opened Fiji's doors to China. But he admitted that several changes had to be made to ensure Fiji was more appealing to Chinese visitors. He said the interest shown for Fiji's products by Chinese agents was overwhelming. Mr Seeto said the show would have a huge impact of tourist arrivals because apart from the interest shown by Chinese agents, representatives from other new markets such as Brazil and India were keen to promote Fiji. (Source: Fiji Times 16/06/2005)

Aussies Reduce Vacation Time (Fiji)
Australians are spending lesser days in Fiji but making more return visits, Fiji Visitors Bureau marketing director, Jo Tuamoto said yesterday. Mr Tuamoto said at the Fiji Forward conference at the Tradewinds Convention Centre Australian visitors are now spending only an average 8.3 days compared to 10 days as was the average two years ago. Statistics with the Bureau reveal that at least 33 per cent of Australian visitors make return visits in a year. Last year, Fiji recorded 170,000 arrivals from Australia, the highest number for the year. However, about 65 per cent of New Zealanders make return visits every year. Fiji had about 100,000 visitors from New Zealand last year. New Zealanders spend on average 8.7 days in Fiji. It has been noticed that the American visitors are now staying longer from 7.1 days to 7.6 days. Mr Tuamoto said to the Bureau even 0.5 day was important to them as it meant millions of dollars. The Bureau was allocated around $13million in the 2005 budget. Most of this money is spent on marketing Fiji. Understandably, most of the aggressive marketing is being carried out in our strongest markets- New Zealand and Australia. The Bureau invests around 34 per cent of its marketing budget in Australia and gets a return of around 39 per cent. A large sum of the Bureau's marketing investment is in the North American market but Mr Tuamoto said the return is not that high. (Source: Fiji Times 17/06/2005)

Sustaining a Viable Future for Tourism
The South Pacific Tourism Organisation’s (SPTO) workshop on Sustainable Tourism Development ended on a high note in Nadi last week.  The workshop heard from hoteliers, leading academics and the heads of National Tourism Offices from the Pacific, who discussed how tourism development within the region could encompass environmental conservation, cultural values, human resource development and commercial investment to achieve viable tourism growth. SPTO figures indicate that visitor arrival numbers reached a new record for six of the twelve Pacific member countries, including the Cook Islands, PNG, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.  Whilst this provides these countries with significant economic benefits and revenue, if not properly planned and managed tourism development can lead to exploitation of natural and cultural attractions. The Regional Tourism Strategy for the Central and South Pacific developed by SPTO identifies the need ‘facilitate the sustainable development of tourism’. The Sustainable Tourism Workshop was held by SPTO to raise awareness among its Pacific member countries of the need to incorporate sustainable development principles into their national tourism development plans. Individual speakers included Dr Louise Twining-Ward from Tourism Resource Consultants, Professor Simon Milne Director of the New Zealand Tourism Research Institute, Ms Alison Allcock from Tourism Research Australia, Dr Ropate Qalo Acting Head of Tourism USP, Mr Lisiate ‘Akolo CEO SPTO, Mr Paul Hughes General Manager Outrigger Resort.  The workshop was moderated by Mr Ross Hopkins the Technical Adviser on Tourism Policy and Programmes for SPTO. The workshop highlighted the need for countries to advocate ethical tourism, to be proactive in sustainable tourism initiatives by government and industry operators, the integration of community tourism and the requirement to incorporate the protection of ecosystems and create sustainable livelihoods for industry stakeholders. In addition the workshop participants identified the need for the continued facilitation of information on best practice examples of sustainable tourism in the region and existing sources and tools available to assist stakeholders. Mr Ross Hopkins the Tourism Policy and Programmes Adviser with SPTO said that ‘This workshop is part of SPTO’s ongoing efforts to support our member countries to develop tourism in a sustainable manner. The workshop was very successful in providing examples of best practice initiatives in sustainable tourism from other regions including Asia, North America, Australia and New Zealand.  We will be encouraging our member countries to adopt sustainable tourism principles at a national level and incorporate these into their national tourism development plans, in order to ensure the long term future industry of the industry, which underpins many of the Pacific island economies’ .  (Source: SPTO Press Release 15/06/2005)

SPTO Membership Update
SPTO welcomes 3 more new private sector members:
1. Islands Business International is a multimedia publishing company based in Suva, Fiji. Established over 30 years ago, IBI is the premier publishing group in the Pacific Islands region. The company brings out 14 products in print, video and digital media that include current affairs and business magazines, in-flight magazines for 3 of the region's airlines and four special-interest industry publications of IBI. For more information please visit their website: http://www.islandsbusiness.com/ or contact them directly on e-mail: gscoullar@ibi.com.fj
2. Kokopo Village Resort Hotel (pictured below) is located close to the business centre and the main highway in Kokopo, PNG. This resort overlooks the waterfront, the Duke of York Islands and the Kokopo golf course. The resort also offers a wide range of accommodation choices; from hotel rooms to self contained apartments. Find out more about the Kokopo Village Resort Hotel on their website: www.kokoporesort.com.pg 
3. Destination World is an Australian owned tour wholesaler company based in California, USA.  Specialising in organising travel packages to the South Pacific, particularly to Fiji, Australia and New Zealand. To find out more about this dynamic tour company, visit their website: http://www.destinationworld.com/about/ or contact them via e-mail: world@silcom.com for more information.
For more information regarding the SPTO Private Sector Membership Programme and its associated benefits, please contact our Membership Marketing Coordinator on e-mail: rdrekeni@spto.org

Air New Zealand Joins Qualmark New Zealand
Air New Zealand has announced at TRENZ that it has received accreditation from Qualmark New Zealand under the category of "Endorsed Visitor Transport" in a move intended to further promote the quality of New Zealand tourism in offshore markets. "A quality experience is what separates our country from other destinations and we're seeing more than ever before that tourists are demanding quality assurance when they book their travel," says Steve Bayliss, Air New Zealand General Manager Marketing and Alliances. "Air New Zealand spends around $84 million annually promoting New Zealand offshore, with leisure travellers making up almost 80 percent of our inbound passenger numbers. "So showing our commitment to Qualmark by becoming a licence holder helps Air New Zealand further in its promotion of New Zealand and adds credibility and recognition to the assurance programme," says Mr Bayliss. Qualmark is New Zealand tourism's official mark of quality, and its rigorous assessment programme spans many sectors in the tourism industry. Geoff Penrose, Qualmark New Zealand Chief Executive says Air New Zealand's commitment to the programme is an excellent opportunity for Qualmark New Zealand. "Air New Zealand has demonstrated their leadership by undertaking the Qualmark assessment and supporting quality in the industry." "We look forward to working with Air New Zealand to further enhance this country's excellent reputation as a quality tourist destination." All businesses that carry the Qualmark(r) have undergone a rigorous on-site assessment and met a set of national quality standards developed with the industry and based on research into what customers want. Air New Zealand's inclusion under the category of "Endorsed Visitor Transport" followed a review of six core areas of quality: customer service, facilities and equipment, staffing environmental and cultural, safety and welfare and overall business operations. (Source: Air New Zealand Media Release 15/06/2005)

Air Tahiti Nui Gets Fifth Airbus
French Polynesia's international flag carrier Air Tahiti Nui (ATN) has on Thursday taken delivery of the fifth Airbus of its fleet, French Polynesia's government said in a release on Friday. Last week, the final stages of the financial acquisition, including a tax exemption of some three billion French Pacific Francs (CFP, around thirty million US dollars), was passed by the French government. The rebate represents close to thirty percent of the total price of the Airbus (105 million US dollars). It will be specially dedicated to newly-introduced routes to Sydney (Australia) and New York (United States) that will start operating respectively on July 8 (twice a week) and on July 4 (three times a week). The order also includes a spare engine. During a handing over ceremony on Thursday at the French aviation show of Le Bourget, ATN Chairman Patrick Leboucher and several government ministers visited the brand new aircraft, which, for the occasion, had been placed next to the ‘giant’ Airbus-380. ATN's new plane is to be named ‘Nuku Hiva’, one of the French Pacific country's many atolls. All of ATN's aircraft are from Airbus. Air Tahiti Nui was founded in 1998. And the latest 2005 passenger survey conducted by Skytrax Research of London last week revealed Air Tahiti Nui ranks first both in the Pacific airline and Australia/Pacific airline categories, ahead of Qantas and Air New Zealand. In the Pacific category, ATN came ahead of Samoa's Polynesian Airlines and Fiji's Air Pacific, according to the same survey. ATN has also announced this week a net profit of some 1.7 million US dollars for its 2004 financial year, a 45 percent drop compared to the previous year. ATN Board member Christian Vernaudon said this was mainly due to a global rise in fuel costs. (Source: Oceania Flash News 17/06/2005)

Air Calédonie Domestic Intends to Buy 3 New ATR Planes
New Caledonia's domestic airline Air Calédonie (AirCal) has committed to buy three new ATR series 500 aircraft to renew its ageing fleet. The new ATR 500 series includes several versions, 42 and 72. AirCal Chairman Nidoïsh Naisseline told a press conference this week at the Bourget air show near Paris that he has signed a deal with the manufacturing company. Naisseline said the purchase comes amidst AirCal's restructuring plan, after years of unprecedented losses and financial woes, perceived to be caused by heavy salary costs and an ageing fleet. Two years ago, AirCal had to sell one of its four ATR. The three new aircraft are to replace the older ATR, which are all at least ten to fifteen years old. Naisseline said the new planes, to be delivered between 2006 and 2007, will also allow AirCal to increase its seat capacity. They are all fitted with the latest technologies, including a Multi-Purpose Computer (MPC) navigational aid device, ATR CEO Filippo Bagnato said he believed the planes were ‘key element’ for AirCal's development strategy and its regional network because they are ‘perfectly adapted to inter-island traffic’. (Source: Oceania Flash News 17/06/2005)

Virgin Signs Deal with Sister Carrier Down Under
Virgin Atlantic has signed a code share deal with its Australian sister airline Virgin Blue. The agreement will enable customers to book a flight from the UK all the way through to Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Cairns, Gold Coast and Coolangatta using Virgin Blue’s internal network. Virgin Atlantic currently operates a daily service to Sydney. The carrier said it would provide a seamless experience for travellers with "smooth and hassle-free" connections between the international and domestic airlines. Virgin Blue chief executive Brett Godfrey said: "It’s an exciting step forward as it streamlines the process of booking Virgin all the way, making it easier for travel agents to book our passengers on both airlines." The codeshare agreement starts on July 17. (Source: TravelMole News 16/06/2005)