The inaugural Tourism Leaders’ Summit was held on Monday 23 August, at the Fa’onelua Convention Centre, with a theme “Leadership Refocus for Tourism's Survival” to discuss the best ways forward for securing the tourism sector’s survival in Tonga. The summit will continue on a quarterly basis, leading up to the National Tourism Forum in early 2022.
Pictured above: centre, HRH Salote Mafile ’o Pilolevu Tuita, (Patron, Tonga Tourism Association and Guest of Honour; front seated, staff of the Tonga Tourism Authority; middle row L-R, Sione Moala Mafi (CEO, Ministry of Tourism), Mishka Tu’ifua (Chairlady, Tonga Tourism Authority Board), Viliami Takau (GM Tonga Tourism Authority); middle row, right side, Hon. Rev. Dr. Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa (Prime Minister / Acting Minister for Tourism / Chairman of the Tourism Leaders Summit), Hon. Frederica Lupe'uluiva Fatafehi 'o Lapaha Tuita Filipe (Principal Tourist Officer, Ministry of Tourism), Mr. Siosaia Moehau (President, Tonga Tourism Association); standing, rear, Directors of Tourism Board, Business Leaders/Executive Members of the Tonga Tourist Association, and Staff of Ministry of Tourism Senior Managers.
The inaugural Tourism Leaders’ Summit was convened on Monday 23 August, in the Fa’onelua Convention Centre.
Guest of Honour was The Princess Royal, HRH Princess Salote Mafile’o Pilolevu Tuita, who is also the Patron of Tonga Tourist Association. The Summit was chaired by the Hon. Dr. Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa, Prime Minister of Tonga, and Acting Minister for Tourism.
The Summit is a platform for public and private sector dialogue. It aimed to bring the tourism sector’s top leadership levels, as a catalyst to align leaders, to share information and develop solutions to problems, introduce new strategies, and fuel collaboration across the public and private sector organizations.
The Summit was highly acclaimed by the private sector as a closed session for tourism leaders’ dialogue and information sharing, though most importantly it was a platform for frank and open discussion between the public and private sectors on the best way forward for securing the tourism sector’s survival pre and post the Tonga borders opening.
The Summit was hosted by the TTAB and will continue on a quarterly basis, leading up to the National Tourism Forum expected to be held in the early months of 2022.
Other participants of the Tourism Leaders’ Summit were the Minister for Trade and Economic Development, Hon. Tatafu Moeaki, the Chairlady and Directors of the Tonga Tourism Authority Board (TTAB), Chief Secretary and Secretary to Cabinet and also an Ex-Officio Member of the TTAB, Chief Executive Officer Ministry of Tourism (MOT) and also an Ex-Officio of the TTAB, Senior Officers of the MOT, and the President and Executive Members of the Tonga Tourist Association in Tongatapu, Vava’u, Ha’apai, ‘Eua and the Niuas.
- By Tonga Tourism Authority Board
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