Preparing Border Reopening Aviation Connectivity through collaborative
marketing initiatives between the VTO and Air Vanuatu
From left to right : Air Vanuatu CEO, Mr. Atu Finau and Vanuatu Tourism CEO, Mrs. Adela Issachar Aru at the signing ceremony on Wed. 11 May 2022.
Media release - Port Vila, 10 May 2022: Today, the Vanuatu Tourism Office and Air Vanuatu signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to further strengthen their marketing partnerships, as the country is gearing up for the reopening of its borders to international travellers, in July 2022. This partnership is not new; however, it aims to guide the parties identified and planned marketing initiatives towards the development of the international and domestic tourism market, addressing the reopening of the borders and the recovery of the travel and tourism business in Vanuatu.
Mrs Adela Issachar ARU praised the achievement saying, “As the National Destination Marketing body of the country, it is crucial that VTO aligns its initiatives with Vanuatu’s National Carrier, to ensure that our combined efforts help to develop mutually beneficial marketing campaigns and programs internationally and domestically. Now more than ever, we need real partnership and tangible outcomes from our cooperation, as Vanuatu is gearing towards the reopening of the borders in less than 8 weeks, and we are actively in the market to campaign and reconnect with our trade partners.”
The shared vision is to grow visitation and travel to Vanuatu, particularly in the New Caledonia, New Zealand and Australian Markets through aligned marketing campaigns.
"Air Vanuatu is a longstanding partner to the Vanuatu Tourism Office, and we look forward to collaborating and delivering the outcomes of this MOU, by ensuring our international marketing messaging and tactics provide commercial growth for the airline and the destination.” says Air Vanuatu Chief Executive Officer, Atu FINAU.
“We see this partnership as proof that by working together, we can deliver so much more for Vanuatu. The goals of the Shared Vision partners [including Airports Vanuatu Ltd] to increase visitor numbers by 2030 and improve the brand positioning of Vanuatu in our overseas markets, are now more relevant than ever.” Finau continued.
This partnership will also include joint access to and development of content and marketing assets in line with Vanuatu's brand positioning as a real-life changing adventure destination to tourists abroad, including the alignments of the Media & Trade famil programs, the international representations through various roadshows and sales calls, the Trade Acquisition Program and new routes development.
It is anticipated that through frequent collaborations between the two organisations, the Vanuatu Tourism Industry and other stakeholders will be able to benefit from joint presentations and communications.
VTO assures other stakeholders that as it has a broader and overarching responsibility to the Vanuatu Tourism Industry and sector, to lead the coordination of tourism destination marketing efforts for both the international and domestic markets, the organisation will continue to work with other aviation partners on destination marketing activities.
As Government owned agencies, the two entities reconfirm their commitments to collaboratively share common vision and goals, in maintaining and growing Vanuatu as a competitive regional and international tourism destination, while meeting the objectives of Vanuatu Government’s National Recovery Strategies and National Sustainable Development Plan – The People's Plan 2030.