What do we do?
SPSN is working to position the South Pacific as a sailing destination equal to the Caribbean and Mediterranean.
Yachting aids the economies of our islands
SPSN is encouraging ‘nautical tourists’ to slow down and visit multiple countries in the South Pacific during their vacation visits. Unlike hotel-based vacationers, visiting yachtsmen typically stay in the South Pacific for many months, rather than for a week or two.
During their lengthy visits they typically spend more money than shore-bound or cruise ship tourists, and in a wider variety of locations including remote atolls. Surveys have shown that in New Zealand, the average visiting yacht under 18m spends between $40,000 and $60,000 NZD during a typical four to six month stay.
For our Islands;
• Establish Nautical Tourism as a recognised profitable tourism niche.
• Collect and compile qualitative and quantitative surveys and data on the yachting sector throughout the South Pacific region. Their inter-island movements, the lengths of their visits, and estimates of their expenditures. Benchmark statistics enabling a better understanding the movements of boating visitors, and the impact of this sector on the economies.
• Collaborate to secure international funding for joint initiatives in order to increase nautical tourism expenditure throughout the South Pacific.
• Initiate group-wide exchanges of tourism personnel for training courses aimed at promoting cross-cultural understanding and higher standards of professionalism in the marine tourism sectors.
• Develop working relationships with government tourism and processing authorities such as the Memorandum Of Understanding with the South Pacific Tourism Organisation.
• Assist with communications for aid organisations to outer islands and encourage better practice of community involvement by the yachts.
For the yachts:
• Jointly represent the region giving informative sailing seminars in key places such as Panama, Puerto Vallarta, San Diego, Tahiti, introducing and inspiring yachties to discover the South Pacific.
• Create targeted multimedia promotional tools and initiate media coverage to promote the South Pacific sailing zone as one entity.
• Create and maintain information tools for each member destination -regulations, formalities, recommended moorings, services and infrastructure available.
• Participate in key international promotional events – boat shows in the USA and Europe, Panama Canal transit peak season, Voiles de St Tropez, major Caribbean regattas races.
• Create a dynamic event calendar in the South Pacific for boats crossing the zone -The Tahiti-Moorea Sailing Rendezvous, The Blue Water Festival in Tonga, Musket Cove Regatta in Fiji, The Millenium Cup in New Zealand, The Groupama Race in New Caledonia.
• Support organised sailing rallies which encourage first time ocean passages.
• Create more major sailing events in the Pacific- like reinstating the Transpacific race or an inter-island treasure hunt?
• Suggest voyaging and destination information sources and charitable organisations wanting cruising yacht participation.
