Samoa to attend Pacific Tourism Insights Conference 2017

Samoa will be attending this year’s Pacific Insights Conference (PITC) 2017 to be held in Vanuatu.

The Conference is being organized by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in collaboration with South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), hosted by the Vanuatu Tourism Office (VTO) and co-sponsored by Air Vanuatu. The inaugural PTIC will be held on October 25th at the Vanuatu Convention Center in Port Vila.

The Samoa delegation will be led by the Minister of Tourism, Hon. Sala Fata Pinati and the Chief Executive Officer of the Samoa Tourism Authority, Papali’i Matatamali’i Sonja Hunter, whom is also the Chairperson of the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO).

“This is a great opportunity for Samoa, and it is wise to engage with those that influence change and to share thoughts and ideas on the future of tourism,” said Papali’i.

The Conference will bring together a dynamic and unique line up of international thought leaders in innovative and disruptive thinking with key topics to be analyzed and discussed including; connecting with the new traveler, the difference between consumer and customer, crisis and recovery and ingredients for success and sustainability.

Author and the former CEO of Tourism Vancouver, Mr Rick Antonson will deliver the conference keynote address. Mr Antonson has been a leader in the Tourism Industry for 30 years and has served as board chair of the Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) based in Washington, D.C., and as deputy chair of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) based in Bangkok, Thailand. He was also President of Pacific Coast Public Television until the spring of 2014.

PATA CEO, Dr. Mario Hardy says, “The world is rapidly changing and evolving right before our eyes and many of us need to abandon our traditional way of thinking in linear manner in order to prepare for an exponential future”.

“The Pacific Tourism Insights Conference provides the perfect opportunity for travel and tourism industry stakeholders in the Pacific to gain deeper insights into how to prepare for an unimaginable future and the inevitable technological changes and developments that will affect our lives,” he added.

The conference discussions are aimed to contribute towards achieving the objectives of the Pacific Tourism Strategy 2015-2019 which provides the strategic framework to support the development of tourism in the Pacific.

It is also expected to contribute to new ideas and approaches to help improve the business approach in tourism and to create opportunities for greater focus and reflection to take tourism to the next level. The conference will provide a

unique convergence for networking, learning and growing.