South Pacific Tourism Exchange cancelled [1]
Saturday, March 21, 2020 - 16:07
The South Pacific Tourism Exchange that was set for May 25-26 in Christchurch has been cancelled due to the CoViD-19 pandemic.
SPTO CEO, Christopher Cocker said yesterday that this was the first time they have cancelled the event.
“Our people are our greatest asset and we must protect them at all costs. We will now realign our resources and efforts to support the post COVID-19 Recovery efforts of our members”.
It was also announced the launch of the Pacific Wave Recovery Fund, which aimed to inspire, unite and engage the Pacific Tourism Family and its stakeholders.
"We are very grateful to NZ Maori Tourism, a valued partner of SPTO, who have so kindly come forward as the first donors with a generous contribution of NZD$50,000."
“Tourism is a strong and resilient industry, we will bounce back from this and the purpose of this fund is to support the post COVID-19 efforts our members and stakeholders,” he said.
“Now more than ever, we need to come together to overcome the challenges presented by CoViD-19”. He called on development partners, donors and the industry’s valued guests and stakeholders to support Pacific Tourism’s recovery efforts via the Pacific Wave Recovery Fund.
Held annually since 2014, SPTE is a valuable platform for engagement between international travel partners and regional tourism sellers and suppliers.
World Tourism Organization
Meanwhile, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is working to launch a global guide for recovery.
The UNWTO hosted a high-level virtual meeting yesterday in Madrid, but conducted virtually for reasons of public health, further emphasized the call for international cooperation to underscore a united response based on the latest public health recommendations and reflecting the deep economic ripple effect and social cost of the pandemic.
Unprecedented
“This unprecedented public health emergency has already become an economic crisis which will come at a social cost”, said UNWTO’s Zurab Pololikashvili.
The Secretary-General added that tourism “is the hardest hit sector and all our best estimates have been overtaken by the changing reality”.
The meeting brought together key UN agencies, the chairs of its Executive Council and Regional Commissions, and private sector leaders.
All participants accepted an invitation from the UNWTO Secretary-General to become part of a Global Tourism Crisis Committee.
“The UNWTO-led Committee will hold regular virtual meetings, reflecting the need for coordinated and efficient action by the private and public sectors, governments, international financing institutions, and the United Nations.”
Since the start of the pandemic, UNWTO has been working closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) to guide the tourism sector as it faces up to the COVID-19 challenge.
Without any certainty over how long this crisis will last or what the final economic and structural impact on tourism might be, all participants were united in their deep concern over the millions of jobs that are at risk of being lost. With small and medium-sized enterprises making up 80% of the sector worldwide, the wider social impact of the crisis will go far beyond tourism, making it a key concern for the international community.
UNWTO stated that this requires political recognition and cooperation across ministries, involving the public and private sectors and set against the backdrop of wider action plans by financial institutions and regional bodies.
All welcomed UNWTO’s tagline to ‘Stay home today so you can travel tomorrow’, which is promoted on digital media through the hashtag #TravelTomorrow.