South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO)

SPTO was established in 1983 as the Tourism Council of the South Pacific, the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) is the mandated organisation representing Tourism in the region. SPTO believes in a sustainable future for our Pacific Islands through tourism to benefit our people, safeguard our cultural heritage, and ensure the environment that we depend on is protected for generations to come. Its 21 Government members are American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis & Futuna, Rapa Nui and the People’s Republic of China. In addition to government members, the Pacific Tourism Organisation has about 200 private sector members.

Our Vision: “Our Pacific Islands’ empowered and benefitting from sustainable tourism”.

Our Mission: “Sustainable tourism development through innovative partnerships”. SPTO is guided by its strategic priorities with its focus on sustainable tourism representing a shift for SPTO from primarily being a regional marketing body to also being a leader in regional tourism policy and development. In the context of an inevitable growth in mass tourism and the severe and escalating impacts of climate change, sustainable tourism needed to be central to SPTO’s role. By pursuing sustainable tourism for the region, transforming marketing through digital technologies, and securing the evidence base for decision-making through research and statistics, SPTO in collaboration with partners can guide a recovery that brings tourism back better, and more resilient, and enables Pacific Island economies, people, culture and the environment to thrive.