Tourism operators need to come up with unique features in their operations to lure visitors and investors.

South Pacific Tourism Organization Chief Executive, Chris Cocker says operators need to differentiate their products rather than the usual sun tans and blue seas.

“We try to run that in our exhibitions pre-COVID but I think this is an opportune time to re-emphasize that. Why Samoa is different from Tonga, why Tonga is different from Fiji, etc. because to all our buyers that are coming, they still have that vision that we are all the same, in terms of the blue ocean, sand, sun and sea when as a matter of fact, there are differences in this case.”

Cocker says this will be emphasized to operators who will be attending the 2023 South Pacific Tourism Exchange in Christchurch, New Zealand on May 12-13.

He says organizers hope to have more than 80 tourism operators from around the South Pacific region attend the event and promote their products and services to overseas buyers.

The event which was last held in 2019, received a $100, 000 sponsorship from New Zealand Maori Tourism yesterday.