Tourism is the major industry for several of the Pacific Island countries. In many it is the only commercial activity that offers sustainable competitive advantage. Nevertheless there are some serious constraints – restricted access, limited infrastructure (including telecommunications); lack of investment; unsophisticated management skills, including limited capacity to establish and maintain suitable international standards; inappropriate government structures and administration; and difficulties in getting the product to market.
All countries are supportive of their tourism industries but there is a wide range of maturity across the region. PEP-Pacific’s Tourism Program is designed to address these major challenges through a combination of individual country-specific initiatives, multi-country initiatives, and the development of products that could be used across the region.
The PEP-Pacific Tourism Sector Program has been developed around a series of themes that focus on key problems which can be addressed through PEP-Pacific/IFC skills and resources. These themes are:
- Access to Finance/Investment Support with an emphasis on building institutional capacity and the development of a viable market for the local delivery of tourism investment advisory services;
- Access to Market and especially developing a suitable pathway to market for SMEs and for selected industry segments;
- SME Capacity Building with emphasis on management skills; standards; and quality controls, including asset protection focusing on environmental protection;
- Product/Community Tourism Development designed to improve linkages of products to market demand; increased engagement by local individuals and communities in SME businesses; and improved protection and strengthening of underlying physical assets; and
- Business Enabling Environment with an emphasis on building institutional capacity and strengthening the regulatory environment to support the development of private tourism businesses.
