India's ‘Best Convention Centre’ is PATA Mart Venue
PATA Travel Mart 2008 venue the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) has won the Indian National Tourism Award for "Best Convention Centre", presented by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. Managed by PATA member Accor, HICC is India's first purpose-built convention facility, appropriately located in an emerging business hub. Built across a 15-acre landscaped environment, HICC has a pillar-free internal hall of net 6,480 sq. m which can accommodate up to 5000 people and can be partitioned into six halls. The foyer area also exceeds 6500 sq. m in addition to this internal space. (PATA) For a prospectus for the Pacific Village at PATAMART contact drigamoto@south-pacific.travel

Suva to Woo Visitors on Cruise Liners
A fire-walking performance in Thurston Garden, in Suva, Fiji Islands will become a reality soon, deputy Suva Lord Mayor Josefa Gavidi confirmed yesterday. Mr Gavidi said transforming the capital city into an ideal location to attract tourists was a mission the Suva City Council SCC had undertaken. He yesterday said more than 50 per cent of tourists on board the cruise liner P&O's Pacific Sun had opted for tours outside Fiji's first city. Mr Gavidi said the SCC was a member of the tourism taskforce and aimed to promote Suva as a tourist destination. The Pacific Sun' stopped for a day in Suva with 1800 passengers. The liner travelled from Brisbane, Australia, to Suva, and was scheduled to visit Savusavu before heading for Vanuatu. The tourists on the liner were given a warm welcome by the Fiji police brass band. "The SCC plans to create tour locations for tourists with plans for the old war bunker in Flagstaff, meke in Sukuna Park and firewalking in Thurston Garden," he said. (Source: Fiji Times 29 February 2008)

Cruising New Zealand and the South Pacific
New Zealand and the South Pacific are considered safe destinations, which means that New Zealand can expect to welcome more cruise ship visits over the coming years. The projections to date for 2007/ 08 suggest that there could be up to 100,000 cruise passengers in our waters over that season. (Source: Understanding the New Zealand Cruise Experience – research just launched by Tourism New Zealand) Photo: P&O’s Pacific Sun steams into Suva yesterday.

World’s Top Surfers Discover Last Untouched World Class Surf Break
US surfer Benji Weatherley and world renown Australian aerialists Josh Kerr and Dion Agius have discovered the last untouched surf break right on the doorsteps of the Solomon Islands. These three surfers will be front side punting, showing their best rodeo clowns, and air reversing in the world’s best waves between March 4 and 11. This is part of the strategy for the Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau to tap into the world’s fastest growing niche market of surf tourism. Michael Tokuru, General Manager of Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau, said, “We have invited this elite group to the Solomons to discover the uncrowded perfection of Solomon Islands surf. We have over 900 islands and countless reef breaks. Whilst surfers battle it out in crowded waves around the world, few realize the Solomon Islands is a surf rage free destination. No one here has ever heard of the term “drop in.” Mr. Tokuru said, “There are now over 10 million surfers worldwide and a third of these are cash-rich, time-poor and hence potential clients for the Solomon Islands. We are on Australia’s doorstep and one of the last uncrowded surf bastions.” Visit www.surftheearth.com.au for information on surf tours. (Source: Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau Media Release 26 February 2008)

Air Pacific Flies to Funafuti
Fiji's national airline Air Pacific is optimistic that it’s newly secured Fiji-Funafuti (Tuvalu) route will further boost its regional market. Air Pacific chief executive officer John Campbell said the airline had identified services to Funafuti as appropriate. “We had identified services to Funafuti two years ago as we believed that we have the capacity and capability to grow the total market between Funafuti and Fiji,” Mr. Campbell said. “This will also provide network feed to Australia, New Zealand, USA and Japan which improves access for visitors and residents of Tuvalu whilst supporting Air Pacific’s longer haul flights and the hub status of Fiji,” Mr. Campbell said the airline made submissions to the Tuvalu Government twelve months ago. “They took some time to consider the proposal tabled and granted the necessary approvals,” said Mr. Campbell. The airline is now considering expanding its services to other regional countries and has since added more services in recent years. “We are considering other services within the region but until air service discussions are held it is inappropriate for us to specify which routes and countries we might serve,” Mr. Campbell said. The airline services Honiara, Port Vila, Nuku’alofa, Apia, Tarawa, Kiritimati Island with Funafuti the latest inclusion. (Source: Fiji Sun News 26 February 2008)

Alotau Canoe and Kundu Festival
Trans Niugini Tours is very excited to offer a brand new Festival in Papua New Guinea in November this year. This is the first time this program has been put together and Trans Niugini Tours feel that visitors would be thrilled to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity. The Alotau Canoe & Kundu Festival is an unescorted 11 day/10 night program. The highlight of the program being the attendance at the War Canoe & Kundu Festival, a small and friendly culture show, allowing attendees to interact with the performers. The Canoe & Kundu Festival is a celebration of culture and tradition of War Canoes and inherited Kundu drums. After the Canoe & Kundu Festival guests will get a chance to discover other parts of Papua New Guinea, especially the Highlands and Sepik areas. For additional information please visit there web site: www.pngtours.com/tours/festivals2008.html (Source: Trans Niugini Tours 25 February 2008)

Pacific Private Sector Gears Up for Key Meetings
Private sector representatives from the Pacific are gearing up for key meetings to be held this month in China and Samoa. A Pacific delegation will be represented at the "Public/Private Dialogue on Trade in Services for Regional Integration" being held in Macao, China from 28-29 February 2008. The meeting is being organised by the International Trade Centre (ITC), in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). Also being held is the "Regional Consultative Kick-Off Workshop" in Apia, Samoa, from 27-29 February 2008, organised by the European Union-funded-All ACP Agricultural Commodities Programme (AAACP). AAACP seeks to offer alternative approaches to ACP Commodity-Dependent Developing Countries. The Pacific Islands Private Sector Organisation (PIPSO) assisted with identifying participants for both meetings. In welcoming these opportunities, PIPSO Chair, James Movick, acknowledged the growing recognition that PIPSO was receiving by its members and from regional and international organisations and governments. Mr Movick also thanked ITC and AAACP for engaging with PIPSO and looks forward to continuing this partnership. For more information contact Henry Sanday, Executive Officer on email henrys@pipso.org.fj or Marina Pene, Administration Officer on email marinap@pipso.org.fj (Source: PIPSO Press Statement 26 February 2008)

Business Advantage International Goes South Pacific
Australian publishing company Business Advantage International has recently published its first annual business guide to the South Pacific. Produced in partnership with the Sydney office of the Pacific Islands Trade and Investment Commission (PITIC), this glossy 84 page publication brings together a wealth of useful information on the region, and includes some topical feature articles. It is also available online at www.cmmc.com.au/southpacific.shtml. To obtain physical copies contact info@cmmc.com.au