South Pacific Tourism Organisation chief executive, Ilisoni Vuidreketi during the organisation’s “Pacific Regional Tourism And Hospitality Human Resources Development Plan’ book launch at the Fiji Club on Thursday night. Photo: RANOBA BAOA
By RANOBA BAOA
The launch of the South Pacific Tourism Organisation’s training book is expected to boost regional tourism by addressing human resources capacity development.
The ‘Pacific Regional Tourism and Hospitality Human Resources Development Plan’ is funded by the European Union with the focus of implementing the organisation’s Pacific Regional Tourism Capacity Building Programme.
The book, launched on Thursday night, is expected to fill the necessary gaps between the tourism industry demand for staff and management in Fiji and other island states.
Organisation chief executive, Ilisoni Vuidreketi, said tourism is a labour-intensive industry thus the need to develop skill and producing quality tourism services was addressed in the book.
“As a labour-intensive industry, tourism creates a high level of employment per dollar of capital invested and thus potentially an effective income and employment generator in developing and less-developed nations,” he said.
“We have indentified the imperative to promote and develop adequately qualified local industry practitioners for the long term sustainable development of tourism.
“The aim is to improve human capital through regional and country training initiatives in order to enhance the quality and sustainability of regional tourism products and services.”
Essential for tertiary
The book has been well received by the University of the South Pacific’s School of Tourism and Hospitality Management head of school, Professor David Harrison.
“Part of the area that we focus on is Human Resources and the problems of human resources in tourism,” Professor Harrison said.
“This book is very valuable for us because we can point out to the students that these are the demands and these are the needs of the industry in the region.
“This is the kind of course interpretation which USP could offer which can actually add value to the tourism product in Fiji and to the rest of the Pacific.”