South Pacific eyes Chinese tourism boost
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Sixteen Pacific island countries can expect an increase in Chinese arrivals in future, following the signing of a new tourism agreement.
The South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) penned a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tourism Administration of Guangdong province this week, as part of its bid to boost Chinese visitor numbers.
The agreement is expected lead to new organised tours from Guangdong province to the Pacific island nations, and the promotion of the South Pacific as an investment destination for large Chinese tourism companies.
Home to more than 100 million people, Guangdong is China’s most populous province.
“The purpose of this MoU is to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, and promote the development of regional tourism in Guangdong. The areas of cooperation under this agreement will actively promote tourism and cultural exchanges between the South Pacific and the people of Guangdong province,” said Ilisoni Vuidreketi, CEO of the SPTO.
“Guangdong is a bustling [province] of 101 million people and if we can get a fraction of its population to visit the South Pacific through areas of cooperation under this MoU, the region will benefit tremendously from the economic activities generated by the boost in Chinese visitor numbers.”
The SPTO is the tourism marketing and development body for American Samoa, the Cook Islands, Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, the Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
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