Isles unite in Pacific push

PACIFIC island nations have united behind a common identity aimed at boosting visitor growth and promoting sustainable development across the region.

Under the banner “Blue Pacific”, destinations including Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, the Cook Islands and French Polynesia will join with others to create a united image based around the region’s natural environment and cultures.

It comes as the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) welcomes new members in Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Wallis & Futuna and Tokelau, and precedes the 2019 China Pacific Tourism Year in which island nations will focus on their fastest-growing source of inbound travellers.

The Blue Pacific concept was outlined this week in Apia, Samoa, at the 28th Council of Tourism Ministers Meeting, where regional leaders gathered under the theme “Protecting our Blue Pacific, our Livelihood and our Home”.

“The Blue Pacific and the Blue Continent is indeed a common identity for our Pacific people,” Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi told the meeting, the Fiji Times reports.

“It directly defines us and provides iconic images and branding of pristine environments, beautiful and friendly people of exotic and artistic cultures in our international tourist source markets,” he said.