FIJI – ANZ has partnered up with the South Pacific Tourism Exchange (SPTE) as the major sponsor for the regional event to be held in Melbourne, Australia in June.
The sponsorship will ensure that the regionโs premier tourism exchange can cater for 160 tourism operators from the 16 member states of the South Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO) as well as tourism wholesale buyers and agents from around the world.
The two-day event will be hosted at the Melbourne Convention Centre from June 19-20.
SPTO Chief Executive Ilisoni Vuidreketi said the SPTO is pleased that ANZ has stepped forward with a very generous sponsorship package.
โWe find this partnership most fitting as the ANZ not only has the regional outreach in the Pacific, but importantly offers some of the most competitive and attractive financial services for the tourism sector,โ Vuidreketi added.
โThrough this sponsorship from ANZ, we are able to ensure that all our 16 member countries from the region are well represented at an international arena to showcase the best of what the South Pacific has to offer,โ he continued.
โWe will be able to target the best tourism wholesalers, travel agents and tourism buyers from around the world to meet, network and do business with our members at this one stop shop,โ Vuidreketi added.
ANZ CEO Pacific & CEO Fiji, Vishnu Mohan, said ANZ was delighted to support the South Pacific Tourism Exchange, as tourism remained a key area of focus for the bank in the Pacific.
โANZ continues to strategically support vital areas of economic interest across the region, including tourism,โ said Mr. Mohan. โOur support today strategically aligns with our priority of supporting tourism growth in our Pacific markets, including Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.โ
Mr. Mohan added: โWe appreciate that tourism is a very important part of building a nationโs economy, through the creation of jobs and through influence on the growth of other sectors, such as infrastructure and agriculture, which are also priority areas for ANZ in the Pacific.โ
ANZ has had a presence in the Pacific for 135 years, and now has the largest geographical footprint of any bank in the Pacific, with a presence in 12 Pacific countries, including full banking operations in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Cook Islands,
Kiribati, Tonga, Samoa, American Samoa, Guam, Timor Leste and a representative office in New Caledonia.