Tonga tourist operators to meet European investors [1]
Tuesday, October 19, 2004 - 16:30. Updated on Wednesday, May 7, 2014 - 10:44.
Twelve owners of Tongan tourism businesses have been selected to participate in the Partnership Meeting for the tourism industry in the Pacific to be held in Fiji in February 2005.
The Partnership Meeting is part of the Pro-invest Initiative of the European Commission to promote investment and technology transfer to the ACP (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific) countries, and according to Professor Simon Milne, a tourism consultant, the Fiji meeting offers opportunities for the tourism industry sector in the Pacific Region to meet European investors.
Simon held a workshop in Nuku'alofa on Thursday October 14, to promote the Pro-invest Initiative of the European Commission, and to meet the 12 Tongan business owners who will attend the Fiji meeting.
Simon said that if at the Fiji meeting a Tongan and an European partner would agree on a partnership, the European Union gives them a grant of 50,000 Euros to initiate their partnership.
Simon was in Tonga during April- May last year and met people in the tourism industry to promote the initiative and the coming Fiji meeting. He left Tonga on Saturday October 16 for Samoa.