Cook Islands Agritourism Policy Setting Workshop 2018 Policy Setting for Improved Linkages Between Agriculture, Trade and Tourism: Strengthening the Local Agrifood sector and Promoting Healthy Food in Agritourism. Workshop Programme Organised by the Government of Cook Islands In collaboration with and Pacific Community, CTA, PIPSO and SPTO Rarotonga, Cook Islands, 25-26th September 2018

1. Christopher Cocker,
CEO
AGRI-TOURISM POLICY SETTING
WORKSHOP FOR COOK ISLANDS
25th-26th September 2018, Rarotonga, Cook Islands

2. “KIA ORANA – WELCOME”
“OUR ISLANDS ARE YOURS to Discover, Experience, Respect

3.  Our greatest assets in the Pacific are:
OUR LAND, OCEANS, PEOPLE and CULTURE
#BluePacific identity
 We lose these key assets, we do not have
TOURISM
 Our Competitive Advantage: Our diverse
Culture differentiates us from the rest of
the world.

4. PRESENTATION OUTLINE
 Brief on South Pacific Tourism Organisation
 Global & Regional Tourism Trends and
Performance
 Key Tourism Opportunities
 Food Tourism Opportunities
 Building Food Tourism
 The Way Forward

5. ABOUT SPTO
• Intergovernmental body for tourism marketing and development in the
region.
• Vision: “Inspire Sustainable Growth and Empower Pacific People”
• Mandate: “Market and Develop Tourism in the South Pacific”
• Partners/Strategic Alliances:
CROP, PIPSO, PT&I network, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)
Sustainable Travel International (STI), National Tourism Offices, CTA, NGOs etc.
• One of the only CROP agencies with Private Sector Members
• 17 PI governments + China (development partner)
• Core areas of focus: Marketing, Research and Statistics and Sustainable
Tourism Development

6. SPTO MEMBER COUNTRIES

7. GLOBAL TOURISM
TRENDS and
PERFORMANCE

8. Europe 671 Million
(51%)
Asia
Pacific
324 Million
(24%)
Americas 207 Million
(16%)
Africa 62 Million
(5%)
Middle
East
58 Million
(4%)
INTERNATIONAL TOURIST ARRIVALS 2017

10. TOURISM PERFORMANCE
IN THE PACIFIC

11. THE PACIFIC - A SNAPSHOT
Source: NTOs, NSOs & SPTO
Notes:(F) Forecast
-1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
0
500000
1000000
1500000
2000000
2500000
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018F
%
TouristArrivals
Arrivals Growth (%)
 Pacific air arrivals have grown from 1.8 mn
(2013) to 2.1 mn (2017) and 2018 (f) 2.2mn
 Est an extra million are cruise visitors to
the Pacific
 Approx. 0.17% destination share of Global
arrivals
 3.8% Av annual regional growth over last
five years (2013-2017).
 47.8% visitor traffic from Aust (27.2%) and
NZ (20.6%) – Jan-June 2018
 52.2% from Other Markets – Europe, USA,
Japan, China, Other Asia, PICs and Other
Countries – Jan-June 2018
 By purpose of visit: 1. Leisure dominates
(Cooks, Fiji, Van) 2. Business (PNG) and 3.
VFR (Samoa & Tonga)

12. 38.7%
52.4%
8.9%
Source: NTOs, NSOs & SPTO. Data in red are SPTO estimates based on averages of the past four months.
ANNUAL VISITOR ARRIVAL BY DESTINATION:
2013-2017
Destination 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 (R)
Fiji 657706 692630 754835 792320 842884
French Polynesia 164393 180602 183831 192495 198956
Cook Islands 121158 121458 125132 146473 161362
Samoa 124673 131719 136104 145176 155098
Palau 105066 140784 161931 138416 122726
PNG 184321 191442 198685 197632 142943
New Caledonia 107753 107187 114072 115676 120697
Vanuatu 110109 108811 89952 95117 109063
Timor Leste 44146 48986 61037 71680 119432
Tonga 48188 50436 53731 59130 62136
FSM 42109 35440 30240 29485 30060
Solomon Islands 24431 20070 21623 23192 25700
American Samoa 20846 21603 20335 20050 19987
Niue 7047 7408 7707 8918 9805
Kiribati 5868 5111 4353 5018 5663
Nauru 3038 3002
Marshall Islands 4342 4876 6311 5332 5202
Tuvalu 1302 1416 2402 2465 2466
Total 1,773,458 1,869,979 1,972,281 2,051,613 2,137,182

13. Major Source Markets, % share, 2017PICs % Share, 2017
PICs & MAJOR SOURCE MARKETS % SHARE
2017
America
Samoa
0.9%Cook
Islands
7.5%
FSM
1.4%
Fiji
39.4%
French
Polynesia
9.3%
Kiribati
0.3%
Marshall
Islands
0.3%
Nauru
0.1%
New
Caledonia
5.6%
Niue
0.5%
Palau
5.7%
PNG
6.7%
Samoa
7.3%
Solomon
Islands
1.2%
Timor
Leste
5.5%
Tonga
2.9%
Tuvalu
0.1%
Vanuatu
5.1%
Australia
29.6%
New
Zealand
21.0%
USA
10.0%UK
1.6%
Europe
8.8%
China
6.7%
Japan
3.7%
Other Asia
8.5%
Pacific
Islands
7.5%
Other
Countries
2.5%

14. Visitor Arrivals to Cook Islands : 2011 - 2017
 Arrivals increasing significantly over the last
5 years (2013 -2017)
 Tourist arrivals rose to 161,362 in 2017 from
121,115 in 2013, @ average growth of 29.9%
 Peaked growth of 17.1% achieved in 2016.
 Following the decline in 2014, tourist arrivals
growth surged to 11% in 2015 and remained
stable through to 2017
 Key source markets over the past 5 years
continue to be held by NZ (66.3%), Australia
(17.4%), Europe (5.4%) and USA(4.4%)
 Key drivers of growth over the past 5 years
have been influenced by markets of NZ,
Australia, USA, Europe, China and Japan
 2018 forecasts a total of 166,423 arrivals
(3.1% growth) based on 2017 base year
 2019 forecasts a total of 173,859 arrivals
(assuming arrival growth at 4.5% )

15. GROUP EXERCISE: DESCRIBE SUSTAINABILITY IN ONE WORD
2.1 million
1 million

16. POSITIVE FORECAST FOR PICs
(SPTO & WB)
• Forecasted economic contribution is 4.9 US$ bn by
2019 (SPTO)
• Double tourist arrivals by 2040 to 3 million (World
Bank)
• Annual growth rate of 3% per annum in tourist
arrivals (World Bank)
• Additional 127,600 jobs to the region by 2040 (World
Bank)

17. KEY OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE
PACIFIC

18. TRAVELERS’ VALUES ARE CHANGING
• Booming economies of Asian countries- China outbound 700 mil in
2017
• Growing middle class with increased personal wealth and
disposable income (India)
• Aspirations and core values of travelers are changing –
environmentally responsible, seeking culturally rich and off-the-
beaten track experiences, desire to give back to communities.
• Travelers want to immerse themselves in true authentic and unique
experiences (Natural Beauty and Culture), with a “WOW” factor

19. Evolving Mindsets

20. The Rise of the enlightened traveler

21. The Pacific is perfect for development of SUSTAINABLE
TOURISM (Niche tourism products for niche travelers)
Focused on needs of the Enlightened Traveler (Not about
#s (quantity) but on quality impact visitors (high yield,
low impact) with best interests on long term
sustainability of islands, people and culture at heart.
 Niche Product identification
 Niche Product Development
 Niche Tourism product policy, standards,
enforcements
 Niche Product packaging + pricing
 Marketing – distribution to specialist (niche)
travel agents, travelers, tourists..
 Niche product Marketing strategy + planning +
execution + Brand

22. FOOD TOURISM
OPPORTUNITIES

23. WHAT IS FOOD TOURISM?
Food tourism is the pursuit of unique and memorable
eating and drinking experiences, both near and far.
Three key basic needs of a tourist is 1. How to get to a
destination? 2. Where to stay? 3. What to eat?
It is now considered a vital component of the tourism
experience.
Dining out is common among tourists and "food is believed
to rank alongside climate, accommodation, and scenery” in
importance to tourists
Food tourism has four general types: Cooking class, Food
tours, Wine, beer and food festivals, and Specialty dining
experiences

24. OVERVIEW OF FOOD TOURISM
• Food tourism differs from Agritourism in that it is considered a subset of
cultural tourism (cuisine is a manifestation of culture) whereas agritourism is
considered a subset of rural tourism.
• But food tourism and agritourism are inextricably linked, as the seeds of cuisine
can be found in agriculture.
• The World Food Travel Association offers the following clarification and
definition:
We say "food tourism", but drinking beverages is an implied and associated
activity…In addition to traveling across country/ island or the world to eat or
drink, we can also be food travelers in our own regions, cities and
neighborhoods/ islands.
"Food Tourism" includes the food carts, local markets and street vendors as
much as the locals-only (gastro)pubs, wineries, or one-of-a-kind restaurants.

25. WHAT IS AGRITOURISM?
People have become more interested in how their food is produced.
They want to meet farmers and processors and talk with them about what goes
into food production.
For many people who visit farms, the visit marks the first time they see the
source of their food, be it a dairy cow, corn growing in a field, or an apple they
can pick right off a tree.
Agritourism or agrotourism, as it is defined most broadly, involves any
agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch.
Agritourism has different definitions in different parts of the world, and
sometimes refers specifically to farm stays OR includes a wide variety of
activities, such as buying produce direct from a farm stand/ market, touring a
vineyard, picking fruit, feeding animals, or staying at a bed and breakfast (B&B)
on a farm.
Farmers and ranchers use this interest to develop traffic to their farm or ranch,
and interest in the quality of their products, as well as awareness of their
products.

26. WHY IS
FOOD
IMPORTANT
IN TOURISM

27. GROWING POPULARITY OF FOOD IN TOURISM
• Food and beverages - 2nd highest category of expenditure
by visitors to PICs, following accommodation; approx. 25% -
35% of tourist expenditure is on food
• TV broadcasting of cooking shows key in awareness and
appreciation of ‘cuisine experiences’
• Globally, food tourism is a growing market segment; prompts
focus on locally sourced produce, organic food(UNWTO
2012)
• Growing appreciation for high-quality food with unique local
ingredients and flavours (UNWTO 2012)
• Integration of authentic local cuisine into tour packages
attracts tourists with a higher daily expenditure rate

28. HIGHLIGHTS OF TOURISTS’
EXPERIENCES
IN THE PACIFIC
SPTO AIR VISITOR SURVEYS
2014-2015

29. TOP TOURIST EXPERIENCES REPORTED

30. TOURIST REPORTED WORST EXPERIENCES
AND DISAPPOINTMENTS

31. WHAT IS THE FOOD
EXPERIENCE LIKE IN COOK
ISLANDS?

35. BUILDING FOOD
TOURISM

36. WHAT HAS BEEN
DONE TO
DEVELOP…

37. SPTO’S CULINARY INITIATIVES
2014-2018
DEVELOPMENT at REGIONAL LEVEL

38. • Objectives - to enhance the sustainability of the country’s
tourism sector through greater use of local produce and less
reliance on foreign imports as well as linking tourism to the
agriculture sector.
• Conducted 3 regional (Fiji & Samoa) and 5 in-country Culinary
Training Workshops
• A total of more than 170 chefs trained
• Developed a network of Pacific Culinary Contacts to share
ideas and recipes etc.
• Produced culinary training manuals and DVDs
CULINARY WORKSHOPS UNDER EDF10 and ongoing

39. • Developed strategic partnerships, opportunities and
funding resources amongst developing partners (such
as SPTO, PIPSO, CTA, SPC-POETCOM) that will
strengthen the link between tourism and the
agriculture sector.
• SPTO participated as a key partner at 7 agri-tourism
workshops in the Pacific. Kiribati will be the 8th next
month and followed by a regional workshop in Nov,
Nadi.
Supporting activities to SPTO
culinary initiatives

40. • Need for a Pacific Agri-Tourism and Seafood Strategy for the
Pacific encompassing a robust Pacific Chefs Development
Strategy
• Need for the Agriculture Sector to ensure consistency and
quality produce to the tourism and hospitality industry
• Subsistence farmers to establish cooperatives to market their
supplies and link with the tourism industry
LESSONS LEARNT

41. • Consistent culinary capacity building for member
countries needed (SPTO, PIPSO…)
• Pacific Islands to establish national Culinary Associations
and a pool of in-country qualified trainers
• Need countries to have agri tourism policies and action
plans.
• Regular dialogue and strategic partnerships between
partners/donors to pool resources and avoid duplication
(country and regional level)
LESSONS LEARNT contd

42. WHAT CAN BE
DONE TO
DEVELOP…

43. ‘EMBRACE THE DREAM’
PACIFIC ISLANDS – QUALITY (ORGANIC, HEALTHY,
AUTHENTIC) & DIVERSE FOOD DESTINATION

44. • Agri-tourism and food tourism are potential ‘niche’
products and ‘money makers’ for the tourism industry
• Crucial for all players in the value chain to realise the
importance of building sustainable farm-to-table
relationships
• Pacific Island destinations need to have the confidence
and pride themselves on selling/serving quality, local &
diverse food to visitors.
DEVELOPING THE PACIFIC AS A QUALITY &
DIVERSE FOOD DESTINATION

45. • Complementing ‘sand, sea, and sun’ with
‘high quality, diverse, locally grown, organic,
healthy- food/fish/ local cuisine’
• Capacity building of Owners and Chefs in
the region to become innovative and to use
local produce and seafood in their cuisine to
promote culture
• Quality standards related to food &
beverage needs to be developed for the
Pacific before marketing the region as a
Quality Food Destination

46. 46
WAY FORWARD

47. • Regional Programme – Pursue opportunities to mobilize resources.
POETCOM, EDF11 Tourism focus to be on Food and Culture, Sustainable
Tourism programme, Intra ACP EU
• Pacific Chefs Development Strategy- Improve chefs’ innovation and
strengthen links between chefs and farmers (decision makers)
• Quality & Diverse Pacific Brand (Product Differentiation/ Development)-
Branding the Pacific as a Quality & Diverse Food Destination and the USPs
of each Pacific destination- Food Cuisine (aligned to Culture)
• Sustainability monitoring programme (SPTO, STI and PICs)
• Health Tourism collaboration with WHO (SPTO, WHO, NTOs, Min. Health)
• Regional Synergies – Marketing Research, HRD, Planning, Cruise Shipping,
Air Access, Product Development.
PRIORITIES TO DEVELOP AND PROMOTE
FOOD TOURISM & AGRITOURISM

48. METAKI MAATA