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As the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) continues its in-country visit, the SPTO team, in partnership with the Vanuatu Tourism Office (VTO), hosted a one-week capacity building workshop in Port Vila from July 1 to July 5. The workshop focused on the Pacific Tourism Data Initiative and the Digital Measurement and Benchmarking Dashboard under the Pacific Digital Transformation Project.
Vanuatu is one of ten countries (Niue, Cook Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Kiribati, Timor-Leste and Micronesia-Yap) under the PTDI project, which aims to collect and analyze tourism data. The Digital Measurement and Benchmarking Dashboard Program plays a vital role in the monitoring and evaluation function of the SPTO, which is divided into three parts and sets standards for marketing and sustainable tourism indicators in the Pacific region.
The workshop was held at the Grand Vila Hotel and was attended by 15 participants from the Vanuatu Tourism Authority, Ministry of Tourism, Statistics Vanuatu, Immigration and the Ministry of Trade and Commerce. The workshop aims to enhance digital data collection and reporting in the tourism industry. By the end of the week, participants are expected to have the necessary skills to produce impactful research results for Vanuatu’s tourism industry.
Warren Gama, Business Intelligence Manager at the Vanuatu Tourism Board, stressed the importance of being proactive, having the ability to design and conduct high-quality research and data analysis that will provide the Vanuatu Government and stakeholders with relevant information on the impact of tourism, particularly its socio-economic role.
Mr. Gama stressed the importance of understanding communities’ willingness to participate in tourism and the need to demonstrate how tourism can boost the economy, preserve culture and support environmental conservation efforts.
Christine Tasale, Data Processing Officer at the Vanuatu Immigration Department, said she is looking forward to enhancing her skills in data analysis for the travel and tourism industry by the end of the five-day workshop. This will enable her to use statistical analysis software to understand customer behaviour, preferences and trends.
Chairman of the Spanish Tourism Board and CEO of the Vanuatu Tourism Authority, Isachar Aru, commended the Spanish Tourism Board for its efforts in sustainable regional tourism.
“As CEO of the Vanuatu Tourism Office and Chair of the SPTO Board, I want to elevate Vanuatu’s image and work and our tourism experience through a more robust set of digital data sets and insights that will help our officials and stakeholders better measure the benefits of tourism and its socio-economic impact on Vanuatu. Collaboration and building solid partnerships are critical to the success of Vanuatu and the regional tourism industry,” said Ms Aru.
SPTO Chief Executive Officer Christopher Coker said the capacity building workshop in Vanuatu reaffirmed SPTO’s commitment to increasing the capacity of researchers to use statistical analysis software (Survey Monkey, SPSS and NVIVO), made possible by funding from the New Zealand Government.
“The implementation of the Digital Measurement and Benchmarking Dashboard and the Pacific Tourism Statistics Strategy are activities undertaken by the SPTO Research and Statistics Division. The workshop was crucial in achieving these activities as it drove insightful research findings on Vanuatu’s tourism industry. Data collaboration is therefore equally important to the successful execution of this activity,” said Mr Cocker.
The PTDI project supports evidence-based planning and decision-making. Components include the creation of the biennial International Visitor Survey (IVS), annual Business Confidence Index (BCI) and annual Community Attitudes Survey (CAS) reports. These reports provide important insights into community perceptions and attitudes towards tourism.
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