JOINT PRESS RELEASE

Cook Islands will host the annual Council of Tourism Ministers Meeting for the very first time on 12th October 2016 at Edgewater Resort in Rarotonga.

Prime Minister Henry Puna, who is also the tourism minister, will chair the meeting, which will be attended by tourism ministers from 16 Pacific island countries.

The ministers are expected to discuss a number of things to do with tourism development at the meeting, including a new look South Pacific brand which will be presented for their endorsement, the upcoming Year of International Sustainable Tourism Development in 2017, and proposed regional projects funded by donors such as ADB for Pacific island countries.

Now in its 26th year, the meeting is organised annually by the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), the region's peak tourism development and marketing body, in partnership with the host country. The theme for this year's meeting is “Sustainable Tourism”.

“Sustainability needs to be at the forefront of all tourism development in the Pacific, because our greatest assets in the Pacific is our people, culture, natural environment and ocean” said SPTO Chief Executive Officer Chris Cocker.

“Ensuring the longevity of our natural environments and unique cultures benefits everyone – Pacific people and visitors alike for current and future generations.”

“SPTO is supporting Pacific Island countries to make considerable efforts towards sustainable tourism practices across the region,” he added.

Host country Cook Islands will use the platform of the meetings to launch its own sustainable tourism policies and exhibit key sustainable products as part of a welcoming event for the ministers.

“This is a key milestone for Cook Islands Tourism,” said it's Chief Executive Halatoa Fua.

He added: “We will be able to discuss key sustainable tourism strategies with other Pacific Island tourism heads and Ministers.”

The ministers' itinerary will include a showcase of the unique tourism experiences on offer in the Cook Islands.

Their one-day meeting will be preceded by a meeting of regional marketing managers from national tourism offices on the 10th, followed by SPTO's Board of Directors meeting on the 11th.

Based in Suva, SPTO works with its member governments to market and develop tourism in South Pacific region.

The core functions of SPTO include sustainable tourism, capacity building and marketing of the South Pacific in key source markets and emerging markets.

The 18 government members of SPTO are Cook Islands, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and the People's Republic of China.  In addition to government members, the SPTO has private sector members.

Tahiti hosted the 25th Council of Tourism Ministers Meeting in 2015 while Vanuatu is slated to host the next one in 2017.