SPTO assists Tuvalu prepare for PIFL meeting

Suva, July 4 2019- The South Pacific Tourism Organisation is working with the Government of Tuvalu to prepare communities and the tourism industry for the influx of visitors to the nation during the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting in August said SPTO Chief Executive Officer, Christopher Cocker.

The training which commenced on June 25 through to July 3 is for hotel staff, communities and youth groups focused on Food and Beverage, Food Safety and Handling and Customer Service.

“The training is part of our support for Tuvalu as an SPTO member country. With the Leaders’ Meeting in August, it is essential that the local tourism industry and communities are well equipped to provide food and beverage and hospitability services that are expected of the tourism industry,” said Mr. Cocker.

“As the regional organization responsible for marketing and developing tourism in the region, this assistance dovetails with our objective of capacity building in the tourism sector. As a result of the SPTO trainings, I am confident that the tourism industry and communities in Tuvalu are ready and looking forward to hosting the Leaders Meeting. I am hopeful that the training will encourage them to venture into further supporting and sustaining the tourism industry in Tuvalu.”

ServicePro Training and Consultancy Services of Fiji conducted the training under the oversight of the Tuvalu Ministry of Tourism and SPTO.

It is the second training that SPTO has conducted in Tuvalu this past week; the first was a Plastics Repurposing Workshop which ended last week. It was conducted by Warwick Marlow, a renowned Fiji artisan and Creative Consultant, who trained 30 participants including women, youth, local artists and the LGBTQI community from eight local communities on Funafuti.

Participants learnt how to make jewelry and home décor from waste plastic bottles, an innovative way to utilize discarded plastic bottles and reduce plastic pollution. The workshop is the second of its kind and is an exciting project implemented by the SPTO’s Sustainable Tourism Development Division.

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