The first South Pacific Cruise Forum will take place in Papeete on Tahiti in French Polynesia Oct. 16 and 17, 2015.
The event is organized by the South Pacific Cruise Alliance (SPCA), which includes American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga, New Caledonia, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa and the Islands of Tahiti.
The conferences and round table sessions will be held in the setting of the French Polynesian Assembly, where cruise experiences and growth opportunities in the region will be discussed. In addition to the eight states and territories organizing the event, attendees are said to include nearly one hundred cruise specialists and professionals, port and tourism authority representatives – from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Singapore.
The two-day conference program will feature speakers from nearly 20 cruise lines, including the Holland America Line Group, Royal Caribbean, Carnival Australia, Ponant, Paul Gauguin Cruises and Aranui.
Ollivier Amaru, Chairman of SPCA, commented: “This is a real giant step. The region is building up. Without pretension, we finally have the opportunity to progressively add cohesion to our actions, with the support and help of other regional organizations, such as Cruise New Zealand. This forum also reveals the consistency of our progress. The South Pacific Islands are at the dawn of a great new maritime adventure.
“At the intersection of three large source markets, the South Pacific Islands wish to take the opportunity to maintain the necessary programs for the development of the cruise industry in each of our destinations.”
The South Pacific Cruise Forum is organized with the support of the Government of French Polynesia, the French Pacific Fund, the Assembly of French Polynesia, Cruise New Zealand, the South Pacific Tourism Organization, Tahiti Tourisme, Air Tahiti Nui and the Port Autonome de Papeete.
Source: Cruise Industry News