In this section, you may find new materials that have been published on the topic of ‘linkages between agriculture, trade and tourism’. We continually select major new publications and articles that add up to the policy points discussed in this workshop.
Global Sustainable Tourism Council commends Vanuatu for progressing
towards sustainability
dailypost.vu; 23/06/2019
Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Randy Durband has congratulated the Department of Tourism (DoT) on the progress Vanuatu is making in the path to becoming a sustainable tourism destination, through a number of initiatives. Firstly, the DoT Acting Director Mr Donald Pelam and Mr Durband will be signing a MoU between GSTC and DoT to initiate a collaborative partnership for sustainable tourism in Vanuatu. Mr Durband also congratulated the Government on the newly developed Vanuatu Sustainable Tourism Policy (VSTP) (2018-2030) which includes objectives based on the GSTC Criteria for sustainable destinations. VSTP Technical Advisor, Dr Cherise Addinsall highlighted, “The Vanuatu Sustainable Tourism Policy (VSTP) provides a supporting framework for Vanuatu to work towards potentially becoming the first South Pacific country to be GSTC certified at the destination level, therefore putting Vanuatu on the global stage for sustainable tourism”.
Government launches Sustainable Tourism Policy and Sustainable Islands Tourism Conference
dailypost.vu; 18/05/2019
“As the First Political Adviser (PA), I applaud Director of Tourism Development, Mr. Jerry Spooner for the great work he and his team have done in developing a policy that is needed more than ever in the face of rapid growth of the tourism industry.” The First PA to the Ministry of Trade and Tourism, Simil Johnson, made the introductory address before the Director General of Trade and Tourism, Roy Micky Joy launched the Vanuatu Sustainable Tourism Policy and Sustainable Islands Tourism Conference on May 2. The official launching of the Vanuatu Sustainable Tourism Policy (2019-2030) took place at the Ministry of Tourism, Trade, Cooperatives and Ni-Vanuatu Business with the support of the Deputy Prime Minister who is also Minister of Tourism, Bob Loughman, His First Political Adviser, Simil Johnson and the Director General of the Ministry, Roy Mickey Joy.
Agritourism in action in Santo through ‘Farm to Table’ workshops
Vanuatu TVET; 18/05/2018
Friday 18 May, 2018 saw the closing of a three week series of Agritourism workshops & coaching activities in Santo facilitated by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Department of Tourism and the Sanma Skills Centre. The initiative was supported by the Vanuatu Skills Partnership (TVET), which is co-funded by the Australian Government. Twelve Santo-based farmers and forty-four local chefs and tourism operators, including thirty-eight women, took part in the initiative which aimed to promote a ‘Farm to Table’ concept in Santo. Twenty-five other interested agricultural partners also joined the field workshop sessions which included representatives from the Vanuatu Agriculture Research and Technical Centre, and through Vanuatu Agriculture College.
Winners of Tourism Awards Announced
dailypost.vu; 18/05/2018
The winners of the Vanuatu Bred Bank Tourism Awards for Excellence of 2017 to 2018 have been announced. This significant event which runs every two years is referred to as Vanuatu’s tourism red carpet event. It showcases the best of Vanuatu’s products, services and employees in the tourism industry. The 2017 to 2018 event finally came to an end last Saturday with the announcement of the winners at the Convention Center in Port Vila, after months of interviews by international judges and first-hand experiences with product-entries and later going through a challenge to decide which is the best of each 15 categories. The winners of the three new tourism awards that were created by the Ministry of Tourism were also announced. The Agritourism Award, Minister of Tourism Sustainability Business Award and Father Luke Dini Ecotourism Individual Award were initiated to link other sectors that are playing vital role to meet tourism demands. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Trades and Industry , Bob Loughman, highlighted the importance of engaging in sustainable tourism to the people, culture and environment. “The Ministry of Tourism has introduced the Minister of Tourism Sustainability Award because sustainable development is now key for any development in Vanuatu. “Sustainable tourism takes account of its current and future economic, social, cultural and environmental impacts by balancing the needs of visitors, the industry and communities”, he said.
Vanuatu Country Overview – 2016
Australia Pacific Islands Business Council Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative
The greatest proportion of PSDI’s spending in Vanuatu is on business law reform, which accounts for 38% of the $2.35 million in PSDI assistance the country has received. This proportion increased dramatically over the past two years—it was 78%, or $464,000, of 2014-2015 spending and 37%, or $171,000, of 2015-2016 spending—with the creation of a multiple entity business registry, which was launched in August 2015.
The Samoa Agriculture Policy Bank
pafpnet.spc.int, 31/10/2016
Agriculture and forestry provide around 24% of household earnings. According to the 2015 Samoa Agricultural Survey, there are 27,411 households engaged in agriculture – over 97% of all households in the country – and of these 5,303 (19%) utilise agriculture as their main source of income. As a result, agriculture is a prominent part of Samoa’s development agenda – for improving rural livelihoods, ensuring food security and good nutrition, and contributing to rural incomes. The Samoa Agriculture Sector Plan (ASP) has recently been reviewed and updated, with the current ASP 2016–2020, focussing on four strategic policy areas, including: Strengthening policy, legislative and regulatory frameworks; Improving food security, nutrition, and income generating opportunities; Enabling private sector improvements; and Ensuring an environmentally sustainable, climate and disaster resilient sector. The ASP is also aimed at strengthening government partnerships, particularly with the private sector, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and development partners.
Samoan coconut cream draws positive response
pacificperiscope.wordpress.com, 31/10/2016
Visitors loved the taste of Samoa’s Savaií Popo canned coconut cream at Pacific Islands Trade & Invest (PT&I) Pacific Island stand at Fine Food Australia in Melbourne recently. With more than 1000 exhibitors and some 25,000 plus trade only visitors to the four-day show, Samoa’s coconut cream products were up against tough competition from suppliers from Malaysia and Thailand. So it was very important to have a strong point of difference. The neatly packaged cans of coconut cream, light and original stacked up with Palusami, the canned Samoan delicacy of taro leaves and coconut cream, attracted a number of visitors and enquiries to the stand. The Krissy Company is the owner of Savai’i Popo, Light and Original and canned Palusami. The company is part of Ah Liki Investments Corp. Tricia Brunt is the Sydney based UPF Wholesaler, (a division of United Pacific Freight Pty Ltd operating from 2009). She was at Fine Food Australia with Angela Thompson and Johanna Coyle who were behind the stand and reported great visitor and exhibitor responses.
BSP supports Silae Vanua Market Vendors Association
dailypost.vu, 02/12/2016
Bank South Pacific (Vanuatu) has come on board to support the Silae Vanua Market Vendors Association to host their 1st Annual General Meeting at the National Convention Centre in Port Vila. This important event will gather over 3000 of its subscribed members for its meeting. BSP presented Vt300,000 toward the staging of this event. BSP is keen to be a part of the community, by carrying out Financial Literacy Trainings, supporting small business developments and initiatives that will leave lasting changes in the community. “Our support to the Silae Vanua Market Vendors, promotes the organisation’s aim to assist small businesses and facilitate financial literacy,” said Head of Retail & Marketing, Ms Moana Korikalo. Silae Vanua Market Vendors Association was established on July 3, 2015 formed by a group of market vendors farmers who supply produce to the Port Vila Central Market. It is mostly made up of women who help each other to grow their market business and make sure the market is a safe and comfortable place to work. “This year marks the 1st Annual General Meeting as prescribed in the association’s constitution to be held on November 30, 2016 to be held in Port Vila.
Vanuatu Agritourism Festival will become an annual event
Press Release from the Government of the Republic of Vanuatu
“Vanuatu govt to introduce Vanuatu Farmers’ Association Act”: Seremaiah
vanuatuinfooline.wordpress.com, 15/11/2016
The Vanuatu Minister for Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fisheries and Biosecurity, Matai Seremaiah has announced in his closing remarks of the first ever Vanuatu Agritourism Festival 2016 on Friday 11 November that the government is currently working on a proposed bill called the Vanuatu Farmers Association Act. Vanuatu doesn’t have yet until to date a Vanuatu Farmers’ Association Act and local farmers are currently operating and doing their own things in isolation. He emphasized that under the direction of his ministry, the government is currently drafting a specific bill concerning Vanuatu farmers association. The new act will establish a legal frame-work and pave the way for government financial support into the farmers associations.. “The issue in Vanuatu is that most of our smallholder farmers are still doing subsistence farming. Therefore, sometimes it is hard for them to operate on their own and to get their products to the market.
“Agritourism will boost Vanuatu economy if we can link agriculture to tourism”: Natuman
vanuatuinfooline.wordpress.com, 11/11/2016
“There is has huge potential of benefits that can derive from Agritourism if we could properly ensure the linkages between agriculture and the tourism sector”. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism, Trade and Industries, Joe Natuman made that statement yesterday in his opening remarks at the Vanuatu Agritourism 2016. Mr. Natuman emphasized on the importance of this new concept that combines and emphasizes on the necessity to strengthen linkages between the two major productive sectors in Vanuatu which are the primary sector (agriculture, livestock, fisheries, forestry) and the tourism industry. He added that Agritourism is a fastest growing concept that other countries in the region are capitalizing on to boost their economy and their tourism and agriculture sectors. “The farms are inviting visitors to go out to rural areas and experience the farms’ environment, the farmers lifestyle and at the same time to enjoy the local food and fruits produced in those farms.
Historic Vanuatu Agri-Tourism Festival Kicks Off
pireport.org, 10/11/2016
Vanuatu’s historic 3-day Agri-Tourism Festival has kicked off in the capital. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trades, Joe Natuman, officiated the opening yesterday, witnessed by Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fisheries and Biosecurity, Matai Seremiah, Ambassador to EU, Roy Mickey Joy, government ministers, private sector, farmers and the public. There were displays and sales of local produce and products as well as local food-tasting which began straight after the key note speeches. As people were moving from stall to stall to see the displays, the smell of Tanna Coffee filled the air and many rushed to get their first taste of this locally-produced coffee. The event was the first of its kind to be held in Vanuatu with the aim of creating a linkage between agriculture and tourism to empower small-scale entrepreneurs in Vanuatu to maximize the economic value added of their produce and products to increase livelihoods and improve living standards. DPM Natuman says the event is all about agriculture meeting tourism and is a unique experience that combines traditional agriculture with tourism to provide aesthetic enjoyment for the tourists as well as economic benefit for the local farmer. These activities help to sustain the local farmer and help to keep more farmers working in our lands.
Ambassador Roy wants Vanuatu to take leadership role in Pacific
pina.com.fj, 10/11/2016
“It is time for Vanuatu to take the leadership role in the Pacific. We must be awake and follow the sound of music as it goes.” This is the persuasive message from the country’s Ambassador to the European Union, Roy Mickey, at the opening of the historic Vanuatu Agri-Tourism Festival at Tagabe Agriculture Station Wednesday. He said, “Let us go back to the basics by empowering our farmers to return to their lands to cultivate them to provide for the essential needs of our people”. He congratulated the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Tourism and Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fisheries and Biosecurity, Matai Seremaiah and his Director General, Howard Aru and their staff for hosting the biggest initiative ever. Not only that but the DG’s address to the Ministers of ACP House in Brussels six weeks ago, took the ACP by storm. They spoke of nothing else except the direction that Vanuatu is taking to develop its agriculture and tourism through its Agri-Tourism Policy. “Today Vanuatu is listed as the number one country to model Agricultural Policy that is driven by CTA. We are the first which makes the larger countries in Africa and Caribbean look so small. We’ve come a long way,” the Ambassador said.
Vanuatu: Economy
adb.org, 08/11/2016
The growth forecast for Vanuatu for 2016 is revised up by 1 percentage point because tourism has performed better than expected in light of problems affecting arrivals by air. Economic recovery from Cyclone Pam, which hit in March 2015, continues. After experiencing delays in 2015, major reconstruction and infrastructure projects are now providing an important boost to domestic economic activity. The forecast for growth in 2017 is unchanged, assuming recovery and construction stay strong.
Vanuatu Agritourism Festival: “Healthy Wealthy Festival”, November 9-11, 2016
Programme
#VanuatuAF2016
Vanuatu on radar for China tourists
pasifik.news, 02/11/2016
The time is fast approaching when adventurous Chinese travellers will seek out Vanuatu’s tourism treasures and the massive Chinese economy will help unlock opportunities to invest in and grow the young nation’s industries. Last month, Pacific Trade & Invest (PT&I) Trade Commissioner David Morris, who is Beijing-based, and Tourism & Marketing Manager Vivienne Song brought a famous Chinese blogger and a virtual reality film crew to explore all that Vanuatu has to offer Chinese visitors, discussed future cooperation with the Vanuatu Tourism Authority and industry. ‘Super Baozi’ is a leading travel writer whose guides to Australia and New Zealand are bestsellers in China. His adventure travel blog has more than 200,000 followers on Weibo, China’s version of twitter. In Vanuatu, PT&I took him to Tanna Island to climb on the volcano, to fly through the air on Efate’s Jungle Zipline and to numerous other beautiful and adventurous.
Resilient Crop Varieties Booklet Launched
fijisun.com.fj, 23/09/2016
It is necessary to improve the seed quality of farm saved seeds for enhancing crop productivity as farmers often use these for subsequent crops. These were the comments made by the permanent secretary for Agriculture, Jitendra Singh at the launch of the CLimate Change Resilient Crop Varieties Booklet in Suva yesterday. He said there was a need to replenish diversity in agricultural systems. “This would encourage farming communities to build up community seed banks and the book launched would be of great help” Mr Singh said.
Focus on Vanuatu Products at Fine Food Australia
news.pngfacts.com, 23/09/2016
Four Vanuatu companies featured in the New Product Showcase at the Fine Food Australia in Melbourne recently. It was a major achievement for Vanuatu businesses who were first timers at the Trade only expo.Products came from the international award winning Vanuatu Brewing Limited with Tusker Beer, Lapita Café with Manioc flour, dried/roasted nuts and tamarind, Vanuatu Direct Limited’s Feijoa Juice and Vanuatu Coconut Oil. Vanuatu companies were part of the Pacific Trade & Invest (PT&I) Pacific Island stand featuring 11 companies from five Pacific Island countries including Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Samoa.
Director Endorses Vanuatu Tourism Accreditation Plan
spto.org, 19/09/2016
The Director of the Department of Tourism, George Borugu endorsed the final Operational Plan for the Vanuatu Tourism Accreditation Programme on September 2, 2016. The Director said this has been his “very own” vision to establish Standards for the Tourism Sector throughout Vanuatu. “We have already developed our Accreditation Programme. “Two key components include what we call the Vanuatu Tourism Product Classification System and the Vanuatu Tourism Operators Minimum Standards,” he said. “There are now 32 business categories that are listed as tourism businesses. “For each of those categories, there are sets of Minimum Standards developed for an operator to meet prior to being issued with a Tourism Permit. “Once a Tourism Operator is issued his or her qualification that will allow them to get their Business License.”
Vanuatu Government resources on Tourism
tourism.gov.vu, 12/09/2016
Vanuatu festival promotes good health via traditional ways of preparing and preserving food
pacificfarmers.com, 09/09/2016
The Tupunis Slow Food Festival concluded on Tanna island, Vanuatu a few days ago. The 5 day event brought together people from Vanuatu, PNG, Bougainville, New Caledonia (Kanaky); the Solomon Islands and Fiji to celebrate traditional ways of preparing and preserving food and also to celebrate national identity. It was the first festival of its kind in Melanesia. The festival was co-organised by local organisations (including Vanuatu Slow Food Network, Vanuatu Land Defence Desk, Vanuatu Cultural Centre, Tafea Cultural Centre) and supported by The Christensen Fund as well as the Vanuatu Government. Vanuatu traditional method of preserving food Two representatives from PIFON farmer organization member, Kastom Gaden Association, attended the event. The main take home message is to promote good health by returning to traditional ways of life and encouraging consumption of local food thus reducing the statistics of non-communicable diseases in Vanuatu.
National Green Export Review of Vanuatu: Copra-Coconut, Cocoa-Chocolate and Sandalwood
Vanuatu’s high levels of international competitiveness for the three value chains of coconut, cocoa and sandalwood have been demonstrated through green product space analysis presented by UNCTAD in it’s Baseline Report used to launch Vanuatu’s National Green Export Review (NGER) in 2014. These basic commodities and value added downstream products possess considerable potential to benefit from recent global trends for a global transition to greener markets in line with the outcome of the Rio+20 Conference of 2012 which recognizes the growing market potential of sustainable production and consumption. These findings were extensively reviewed by a diverse group of national stakeholders during the NGER’s First National Stakeholder Workshop in August 2014. Next, a team of three national experts was established to prepare an in-depth NGER Report of Vanuatu focusing on these three products groups in the Vanuatu context which includes recommendations and proposes a national action plan with the aim of boosting production and export capacity in the commodities and their value chains. [Read More]
Vanuatu paves the way for Pacific Agritourism
Tourism is a vital industry for Pacific Island countries such as Vanuatu, where it contributes around a third national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Vanuatu recently took a major step towards strengthening the links between agriculture and its tourism industry with the establishment of an Agritourism Steering Committee (ATSC). This was one of several initiatives following the first Pacific Community Agritourism Week, held in Nadi, Fiji in July 2015 which aimed at strengthening links between the two industries and providing much needed capacity across the region. [Read More]
Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fisheries and Biosecurity, Cooperate Plan 2014-2018
Vanuatu is an island nation with a relatively small land area and population. Vanuatu covers a land area of 12,189 km2 and its EEZ is 684,000km2. Only one third of the total cultivable land is presently farmed. Transport services, both inter- and intra-island are a major constraint to marketing and this to increasing productivity and the volume of production. The Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing sectors account for around 15% of total GDP and for almost all merchandise exports. Vanuatu is an agriculture-based economy with copra, cocoa, kava and cattle continuing to dominate the sector. Since 2003, the agriculture sector has grown at an annual rate of 3.3% compared to 2.8% growth for the economy and an average population growth rate of 2.6% per annum. [Read More]
Vanuatu Agriculture Sector Policy 2015 – 2030
The limited size of Vanuatu’s good agricultural land requires that a sustainable development pathway for the agriculture sector be clearly mapped in an Agriculture Sector Policy to ensure maximum benefit, lasting utility and equitable distribution of outputs for the people of Vanuatu irrespective of socio-economic status or geographical location. The development process undertaken in putting together this policy has given due consideration to the expectations and aspirations outlined for Vanuatu in the Constitution, the Priorities & Action Agenda (PAA) for a just, healthy, wealthy and educated Vanuatu, the Planning Long Acting Short (PLAS) acknowledgement of agriculture as the country’s engine for economic growth and employment and global development frameworks including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The final outcome of this policy reflects a national consensus on how this country aspires for its agriculture sector to develop and be sustained. [Read More]
Vanuatu Agriculture Sector Policy Outline 2015 – 2030
Q: Tourism is important to Vanuatu. What does this Policy say about opportunities for linking farmers to tourism? This Policy talks about encouraging collaboration among stakeholder to increase the marketing of agriculture products to specific markets including the tourism industry; and to promote the farming of high value food crops demanded by the growing tourism industry. Q: Young people are important to Vanuatu. What does this Policy say about opportunities for young people to engage with agriculture? This Policy talks about ‘mainstreaming’ the inclusion of young people in agriculture initiatives, including encouragement; recognition of their contributions; providing equal opportunities in the agriculture workforce; and allocating sufficient funds for agriculture activities undertaken by youths. [Read More]
Emae declared Organic Island
The 4th of July 2016 will go down as an historic date for the chiefs and people of Emae when they declared the Island an Organic Island, Vanuatu’s first. In collaboration with Provincial Governance Strengthening Program (PGS) under the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Farm to Table, the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), the important commitment now means the Island is required to comply with the Pacific Organic Standard. The name of the Project is Engaging Vanuatu Youth in Organic Farming – Farming to Table Chain Approach Project. Pacific Organic Standard consists of requirements for organic production. It covers plant production, animal husbandry, beekeeping, collection of wild products and aquaculture and also the processing and labeling of products derived from these activities. [Read More]
European Commissioner brings additional support to Vanuatu (Pacific Scoop, 3 June 2016)
European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, visited Vanuatu today in a joint mission with New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Hon. Murray McCully, and Minister of Climate Change Issues, Hon. Paula Bennett.(…)The European Commissioner also announced additional support of EUR 10 million (VUV 1.2 billion/NZ$16.5 million) to agriculture, a 40% increase to existing resources to a total of EUR 35 million (VUV 4.3 billionNZ$57.7 million). This sector, which was particularly hard hit by Cyclone Pam, will now benefit from coordinated support by EU and New Zealand. This was formalised by a tripartite Declaration, which is set to make Vanuatu the first beneficiary of an expanded EU/NZ partnership covering agriculture and climate change adaptation in addition to energy.In order to get some practical insight into the country’s needs and opportunities in the sector, the high-level delegation accompanied by Minister for Agriculture Hon. Matai Seremaiah also visited the Vanuatu Agricultural and Technical Centre. They witnessed important research on climate change adaptation in agriculture, supported by the EU and New Zealand. Finally, the Delegation also visited Nanda Blue Hole and met with local producers and entrepreneurs, highlighting the potential links between agriculture and tourism. [Read More]
Vanuatu Agri-Tourism Linkages: A Baseline Study of Agri Demand from Port Vila’s Hospitality Sector
(2015)
This study aims to analyze the purchasing patterns of Vanuatu’s tourism sector, in order to better understand existing linkages between the tourism and agricultural sectors, and to identify opportunities to improve these linkages. The study has been conducted by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. The research conducted for this report quantifies two issues. First, this report estimates the demand for vegetables, fruits, herbs, meats and dairy products across the hospitality sector in Port Vila. Secondly, based on this demand estimate, as well as on feedback from specialists working in the sector, the report identifies particular items that present opportunities for local agricultural producers: ‘gaps in the market’ which could be filled by import replacement. The data in this report can be used by the Government of Vanuatu, its donor partners, and the agricultural industry to develop, fund and implement the policies and practices required to increase economic linkages between tourism operators and agricultural producers, thus helping to spread the benefits of Vanuatu’s growing tourism sector to a greater share of the country’s population. Increasing local food production can improve Vanuatu’s trade balance, increase food security, and help to more evenly share the benefits of a growing tourism sector across Vanuatu’s population, which remains chiefly employed in small-scale agricultural production. [Read More]
Identifying the household factors, and food items, most important to nutrition in Vanuatu (Tim Martyn, Dale Yi, Laupua Fiti, 2015)
Improving the availability of lower cost, nutritionally superior diet has been identified as critical to improving food security, and health, in the Pacific. Identifying the household and environmental factors contributing most to poor dietary outcomes, and the food items and quantities required for a nutritious diet, will assist policy-makers in this region to design targeted interventions to improve the cost and level of access at which households can access an improved diet. This paper uses empirical methods to identify households most at risk of poor nutrition outcomes in Vanuatu, using microdata from the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (2010). It first establishes the average daily intake levels of energy and micronutrients among households in Vanuatu, and compares these with recommended intake levels. The study team undertaking the research and compiling this report included Tim Martyn (FAO Policy Officer), Dr. Dale Yi (International Consultant) with assistance from Laupua Fiti (TCDC Consultant). [Read More]
Vanuatu Strategic Tourism Action Plan “Doing the Basics Better” 2014-2018 – Ministry of Tourism, Industry, Commerce & Ni-Vanuatu business
This Vanuatu Strategic Tourism Action Plan 2014-2018 (VSTAP) provides a high level analysis of tourism in Vanuatu. The VSTAP is divided into a Situation Analysis (section 2) and an Action Plan (section 3). The Situation Analysis identifies 5 key priorities that, if adopted, will straight away positively influence Vanuatu tourism. The Action Plan identifies 6 key areas and their objectives and goals to enable future tourism development. There are 44 actions to be implemented during the lifetime of this plan (5 years) to help achieve these objectives. The combination of the Situation Analysis and Action Plan provides the strategic direction for tourism in Vanuatu 2014-2018. [Read More]
IFC Study Shows Efate’s Tourism Sector Could Help Support Local Farmers (2015)
A recent International Finance Corporation (IFC) analysis surveyed the linkages between Efate’s local food producers and its tourism sector. While Vanuatu’s hotels and restaurants spend an average of Vt1.5 billion on food annually, only Vt675 million is spent on purchasing local produce. When interviewed, hotel and restaurant operators were eager to buy from local growers but many worried about quality control standards and administrative needs. Both service providers require a reliable supply of high quality goods. Vendors also need to show they can meet future supply needs and provide the needed paperwork for administration purposes, such as invoices and receipts. This is a challenge for small growers and market sellers unless they partner with a wholesaler or aggregator. Hotels and restaurants shared their domestically supplied and imported food records, involving 30 types of vegetables, 38 fruits, 18 meat and dairy products, and 18 herbs during both high and low seasons. The 2015 study lists key recommendations for policy, supply chains and logistics, market development, farmer training and resources to improve local purchasing. The analysis also highlights products that can be produced and sold locally at high volumes to replace current import activity. These include potatoes, onions, carrots, capsicums, tomatoes, oranges, cantaloupes, lamb, pork and bacon. [Read More]
UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2015 Edition
UNWTO Tourism Highlights is a World Tourism Organization publication, which aims to provide an overview of international tourism trends during the year prior to its date of publication. The report was prepared by UNWTO’s Tourism Market Trends Programme. [Read More]
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Carnival Australia and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group. August 2014. Assessment of the Economic Impact of Cruise Ships to Vanuatu Executive Summary
The World Bank Group, DFAT-Australia, and Carnival Australia have partnered to conduct this study of the economic impact of cruise ship tourism in Vanuatu. Data gathering and analysis for this study was carried out by Net Balance Management Group. Over the past 10 years, Vanuatu’s cruise arrivals have grown by 15% per year. Cruising to Vanuatu has been buoyed by an advantageous location within a few days’ sail of Australia, a varied destination offering centred on Port Vila, and consistently positive passenger feedback. In 2013, more than 240,000 people arrived in Vanuatu by cruise ship. This translates into 490,000 passenger days. The goal of this study is to quantify the economic impacts of cruising, and to provide data on the cruise sector’s effect on economic activity. The study then identifies a set of investment opportunities that can help to increase the economic benefits of cruise tourism in Vanuatu. This report therefore seeks to provide a platform that can be used by government, the private sector and donor partners to support further strategic, targeted development of cruising. Data on tourism, and by extension on cruise tourism, is not readily available in Vanuatu. This report is an attempt to capture initial economic information about the cruise industry and to provide a point of departure for additional research into the economic, social and environmental impacts of the cruise sector. [Read More]
UNWTO Global Report on Food Tourism (2014)
This new volume of the “AM Reports” series, “Global Repot on Food Tourisn” is an initiative of the Affiliate Members of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and was produced with the support of Member States, Affiliate Members, the Silk Road Programme, and leading professionals in the field of tourism and gastronomy. In this Report, we have attempted to carry out an analysis of the current situation of Food Tourism, through a survey of the UNWTO Affliate Members, and the input of tourism and gastronomy professionals with extensive experience in international organizations, in destination management, tourism enterprises and in the field of training. The aim was to try to obtain a series of conclusions regarding some of the initiatives that are going on worldwide in Food Tourism for possible inclusion in the the public sector and businesses about policies for importance of gastronomy in the development of tourism destinations in the world and reviews the global trends in Foreword Food Tourism. It also reports on the results of the survey Introduction the current situation of Gastronomic Tourism. [Read More]
UNWTO (2014) Tourism Highlights 2014 Edition, United Nations World Tourism Organisation, Madrid
In 2014, tourism continued to be a key driver of the global economic recovery, and a vital contributor to job creation, poverty alleviation, environmental protection and multicultural peace and understanding across the globe. [Read More]
Sustainable Tourism for Development Guidebook – Enhancing capacities for Sustainable Tourism for development in developing countries (2013)
The Guidebook takes a comprehensive approach to tourism, covering a wide range of topics relating to its planning, development, management and impact. By working through the whole document, users can identify priorities for intervention across a spectrum of issues. The Guidebook’s aim is to mainstream tourism by: – Enhancing understanding and commitment to sustainable tourism – Providing guidance to assess the tourism sector’s importance, identifying opportunities for sustainable tourism development, planning actions, and enhancing sustainability of projects. – Delivering a “Sustainable Tourism for Development Study” enabling the EU and other development institutions to include sustainable tourism development in their programme cycles. [Read More]
Challenges and Opportunities for Tourism Development in Small Island Developing States (2012)
This publication presents an overview of the status of tourism in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), while providing evidence of the key importance it has for the sustainable development of many islands and for the achievement of the MDGs. It draws together and updates a wide range of evidence on tourism performance and impacts and on the factors affecting the future development of the sector in SIDS, and provides policy orientations, guidelines and other tools to the various tourism stakeholders in SIDS on how to address these challenges and develop and manage tourism in a sustainable manner for the benefit of their population. [Read More]
The transformative power of tourism: a paradigm shift towards a more responsible traveler
The UNWTO Affiliate Members Global Report, Volume fourteen on The transformative power of tourism: a paradigm shift towards a more responsible traveller is a joint publication with Affiliate Member, Institute of Tourism, Zagreb, Croatia. The notion of transformative tourism refers to socially and environmentally conscientious tourists, who employ tourism as a transformative medium to re-invent themselves and promote sustainable practices that have a positive impact on local communities. The aim of this report is to illustrate with real-life initiatives that best reflect the great potential of transformative tourism in contributing to tourism development. [Read More 1 | Read More 2]
