A new wave of Chinese tourists is helping to boost growth in the Pacific tourism industry, a new report from the ANZ Bank says. The bank’s latest Pacific Economic Quarterly says a rise in tourist arrivals over the last 10 years has created new jobs and boosted government revenue, outpacing economic growth in the region.…
THE Westpac Bank PNG recently marked the first anniversary of its in-store banking outlet, noting that feedback from customers has been positive. Head of retail banking Adam Downie said: “In-store banking provides locals with access to banking services at their doorsteps instead of travelling long distance and queuing in branches for basic transactions.” Westpac PNG…
Fiji Airways says the steep rise in departure tax from its home base is not putting off travellers as the airline embarks on an ambitious five-year plan to increase revenue. Departure tax went up from just on $96 to $128 (US$51 – US$68) on 01 January, making it one of the highest in the world…
Tripadvisor has named the world’s best islands in its Traveller’s Choice Island Awards. Amergris Caye took the top gong for the second year running. Sitting on the border of Mexico and Belize, it is a fantasy getaway, home to the second largest barrier reef in the world – the first being Queensland’s Great Barrier.…
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Papua New Guinea Government have signed two loans to fund improvements to the Highlands region road network and air services in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The Minister for Treasury, Don Polye, and Marcelo Minc, Country Director of ADB’s PNG Resident Mission, participated in the loan signing ceremony. …
BANK South Pacific (BSP) Visa cardholders have been assured of a stronger level of security whenever they use the card here and overseas, thanks to the introduction of a new alert service. The bank said it has a new service known as “BSP visa alert” that would see BSP visa cardholders receive alerts via SMS,…
Fiji absorbed about 40 per cent of the 1.5 million inbound tourists in the Pacific in the recent years, a report has revealed. ANZ’s Pacific Quarterly report released Monday highlighted this. It noted that whilst majority of arrivals were still from Australia, Chinese tourists are now the quickest growing source of visitor arrivals. “Fiji is…
Tourism in Pacific Island countries is expected to receive a boost with the completion and soon to be launched regional tourism strategy. The South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) is into the final lap of country consultations through workshops and stakeholder discussions at a regional level to seek valuable feedback on the first draft of a…
Despite improvements in the business environment over the last decade, law and order and corruption remain the most severe constraints to doing business in Papua New Guinea (PNG), new analysis from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) reveals. Drawn from responses from 130 firms surveyed by the PNG Institute of National Affairs (INA), the findings confirm …
Four (4) Micronesian islands of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands and Christmas Island will benefit from a series of Pacific Port preparedness workshops over the next two weeks. This will be conducted by the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) under the European Union funded Pacific Regional Tourism Capacity Building Programme (PRTCBP). SPTO CEO…