The Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) formerly known as the South Pacific Tourism Organisation is an

intergovernmental organisation An international organization or international organisation (see spelling differences), also known as an intergovernmental organization or an international institution, is a stable set of norms and rules meant to govern the behavior of states an ...

for the

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

sector in the South Pacific. The SPTO markets, promotes, and develops tourism in the Pacific in overseas markets. The main office is located in

Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

. Originally, the organisation was funded by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

as a form of development aid. However, EU funding expired in 2004 and was not renewed. From that point onwards, the SPTO was forced to find other sources of income, which resulted in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

becoming a member of the SPTO board.

History

The organisation was established in 1983 as the Tourism Council of the South Pacific (TCSP). In 1985 the

European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisb ...

provided the council with US$2.6 million to establish a joint marketing strategy, promote tourism, and study its impacts. In 1999 following an organisational review it changed its name to the South Pacific Tourism Organisation. The organisation was formalised with a multilateral treaty, the Constitution of the Pacific Tourism Organisation. The treaty was concluded and signed in

Apia Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō ...

on 18 October 1999 by the governments of

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the International ...

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

French Polynesia )Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze") , anthem = , song_type = Regional anthem , song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui" , image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of Frenc ...

Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

Niue Niue (, ; niu, Niuē) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand. Niue's land area is about and its population, predominantly Polynesian, was about 1,600 in 2016. Niue is located in a triangle between Tong ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northeast ...

, and

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

. All of the signatory governments have ratified the constitution, except American Samoa.

signed the treaty and joined the SPTO in November 2004. Other nations have also joined, and as of 2021 the SPTO has 21 member states. In 2019, the organisation renamed itself the Pacific Tourism Organisation.

Organisation

SPTO's supreme governing body is the Council of Tourism Ministers that meets annually. The council's primary functions include monitoring and reviewing SPTO's policies, strategies, work programmes and budgets. It is also responsible for securing funding for SPTO's activities. A board of directors that meets about three times annually is responsible for the general administration of SPTO's operational and financial policies. The Board has one representative from each of the member countries and six from the Tourism Industry Members (TIMs). The Board implements the policies approved by the Council of Ministers. A Chief Executive, appointed by the Board, carries out the day-to-day administrative functions of SPTO. He is supported by a staff of 12.

Funding

SPTO is funded by #annual contributions from member countries, #donor agency funding for specific projects and #private sector member fees.

Services

SPTO offers a range of services to its members which cover the following areas:

Research

* Regional Statistics Analysis * NTO Bi Annual Benchmarking Survey * Quarterly Market Intelligence Summary * Market Intelligence Reports * Membership Weekly Newsletter

Marketing

* Internet marketing and web development * Overseas Representation * Travel Show/Road Show Facilitation * Regional Collateral Material including * Regional Tourism Magazine * Product Listing * Members Forum

Membership Services

* Member Discounts * Photo Library * Banner Advertising * Database Marketing * Regional Tourism Conference

Policy, Planning and HRD Division

* Training Facilitation and Implementation * Industry and stakeholder workshops * Bi-annual Regional Tourism Conference * Regional Tourism Policy and Planning * Technical Assistance * Project Management/Implementation Services * Consultancy Database * South Pacific Tourism Investment Guide

References

External links

Official website
* * {{WorldCat, id=lccn-n93044032, name=Tourism Council of the South Pacific Organisations based in Fiji Tourism in Oceania Intergovernmental organizations established by treaty Tourism agencies Organizations established in 1999 1999 establishments in Fiji