March 2016 to April 2018

Vanuatu: Implementing the Vanuatu Strategic Tourism Action Plan (VSTAP)

To strengthen the role, function and relationships of the Vanuatu Tourism Office (VTO) and the Department of Tourism, including the Provincial Tourism Offices and Tourism Associations.
To focus on building partnerships with and assisting the private sector operators and SME’s.
To implement capacity building activities like counterpart training between specialist Technical Adviser’s (TA’s) and local tourism management and staff;
To improve stakeholder engagement by conducting project workshops, industry seminars, an annual tourism conference and the national tourism awards.

Develop and implement a Destination Marketing Strategy to support and improve the VTO marketing activities, budgets and funding to attract more visitors who stay longer and spend more.
To undertake market research and track trends so as to inform and guide the marketing strategy plan and the key tourism stakeholders, particularly the policy makers, planners, marketers, investors and the operators.
Support the International Visitor Survey (IVS) each quarter and to work with the National Statistics Office to analyse and distrubute the relevant tourism data.

To make Vanuatu a more competitive tourism destination for cruise and air visitors, by providing a diverse range of quality tourism experiences, VSTAP will implement the following activities:
Manage the Tourism Ambassadors Program to improve first impressions and customer service skills to encourage visitors to come back to Vanuatu.
Implement the Discovery Trails Program in Efate and Santo to develop locally owned tourism products and to spread the benefits of tourism into the rural areas.
Revise the six Provincial Tourism Plans to assess and develop potential products, itineraries and packages.
Develop a Product Development Strategy will be developed and implemented to improve on current tourism products and assess the potential for developing a range of other local products, including ecotourism, cultural tourism, agritourism, marine tourism, sports and event tourism. Also to assist with developing niche markets for handicrafts and yachting.

VSTAP is part of the Vanuatu Project Management Unit Technical Advisory Group (VPMU/TAG) which manages and co-ordinates the Vanuatu Tourism Infrastructure Project VTIP) to redevelop the Port Vila Seaside (upgrading coastal walkways and parks, improved access to shops and cafes, and better amenities for all locals and visitors) and Portside Infrastructure (new cruise ship, ferry and cargo boat wharves) for better marine transport facilities and safer management of cruise ship day visitors.
VSTAP is working with Air Vanuatu and Airports Vanuatu Ltd to develop and implement an Aviation and Tourism Strategy.

VSTAP is partnering with the World Bank in developing and implementing a Tourism Investment Strategy to stimulate and increase ni-Vanuatu and foreign tourism investment, including donor agencies, by reviewing incentives and improving the investment environment.

To increase vocational training opportunities and to improve access to quality tourism education and training opportunities with a pathway to higher level qualifications for career advancement, VSTAP will be supporting existing tourism industry training programs approved by VQA and offered by TVET, APTC, VCCI, VIT and USP.