KINGDOM OF TONGA CONCLUDES CHAIR OF SPTO COUNCIL OF TOURISM MINISTERS ON HIGH NOTE
Honiara – 29/10/2026: The Kingdom of Tonga has concluded its tenure as Chair of the South Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO) Council of Tourism Ministers, reaffirming its commitment to regional cooperation, sustainable tourism, and stronger tourism economies that benefit communities across the Blue Pacific.
Addressing the Council of Tourism Ministers (CTMM) during the SPTO meeting held from 20th-23rd October 2026, in Honiara, Hon. Tevita Puloka reflected on key achievements during Tonga’s chairmanship, highlighted progress in market development, inclusive tourism, climate action, sustainability and data-driven decision-making.
This year, a total of 2,809 business-to-business meetings were hosted at the 2026 South Pacific Tourism Exchange, strengthening commercial connections across the region.
The inaugural Industry Day and Women in Business Showcase also enabled women-led tourism enterprises from six Pacific countries to showcase their products, build networks, and access new markets.
SPTO strengthened its partnership with the Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI), supporting the development of the Pacific Gender and Inclusive Tourism Action Plan (GITAP) 2026–2030 and informing regional gender audits and a synthesis report.
In partnership with the Market Development Facility, SPTO launched the Pacific Tourism Yachting Strategy 2026–2030, establishing the region’s first framework for sustainable yachting development.
On climate action, SPTO submitted its Climate Action Plan to UN Tourism and is working with Griffith University to develop the Pacific Regional Tourism and Climate Action Plan, targeted for launch by May 2027.
Through the Pacific Tourism Data Initiative (PTDI), SPTO strengthened the capacity of National Tourism Organizations across 10 Pacific countries, delivering 15 in-country training courses and three regional workshops.
The initiative has produced 63 International Visitor Survey reports, six Business Confidence Index reports, and seven Community Attitude Survey reports, while training more than 270 tourism officials and stakeholders in tourism data collection, analysis, and application.
In partnership with SPREP, SPTO advanced sustainable tourism through Phase III of the Phasing Out Single-Use Plastics initiative, stronger regional sustainability standards and certification, and Phase 2 implementation of the SWITCH-Asia Sustainable Tourism Enhancement in the Pacific project across Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, and Vanuatu.
At the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau, leaders reaffirmed the importance of regional leadership and cooperation, endorsing reforms to strengthen governance, coordination, and delivery.
They also endorsed the KPMG report supporting SPTO’s position as a standalone Council of Regional Organizations of the Pacific (CROP) agency.
SPTO acknowledged its Champion Countries for their leadership in safeguarding the organization’s standalone status.
“Our task is not simply to grow tourism, but to ensure that tourism contributes meaningfully to resilient economies, thriving communities and a stronger Blue Pacific.
“I wish the incoming Chair every success and assure you of my continued support for Pacific tourism and our shared regional priorities,” Hon. Puloka said.
ENDS//
Former chair of SPTO Council of Tourism Ministers, Hon. Tevita Puloka from Tonga (middle) with the current chair, Hon James Bonuga (right). On the left, is Hon. Tangariki Reete from Kiribati, who will take on the chairmanship from Solomon Islands during the next SPTO Council of Tourism Minister Meeting in Tarawa, Kiribati in 2028.