Vanuatu cheat sheet straight from Tok Tok
Vanuatu’s two-day travel industry event, Tok Tok 2017 revealed the island’s latest hotels, tours and infrastructure projects for Aussie wholesalers.
The annual networking event, Tok Tok, which is now in its 15th year, was held on Thursday 31 August and Friday 1 September where 51 wholesalers from Australia, New Zealand, North America, New Caledonia, China, Japan and Fiji were invited to discover or rediscover Vanuatu, exchange ideas and get updates on completed developments and numerous projects to come.
This year’s year’s theme was ‘Wake Up in Vanuatu’, encouraging participants to escape their everyday routine by waking up surrounded by the tropical beauty of the island nation.
Vanuatu Tourism Office’s General Manager, Adela Issachar Aru, acknowledged the variety of new developments popping up around the country.
“Our tourism product is continually being enhanced and upgraded across the board in Vanuatu. A new 1.2km seafront precinct, which opened on the Friday of Tok Tok, is just one of many new developments currently underway.”
Further developments include a new cruise ship wharf on Espiritu Santo, which was officially opened last month, and renovations to the Bauerfield International Airport terminal, that are due for completion at the end of the year.
“New product represented at Tok Tok included the new boutique resort, The Moso; Ramada Resort Port Vila, which opened in May 2017; The Black Pearl on Espiritu Santo, which will open next year; as well as newly re-opened properties Friendly Beach on Tanna and Tamanu on the Beach on Efate,” Issachar Aru added.
“There was a lot to parade at this year’s Tok Tok and it is always exciting to share our enhanced product with those contributing to the growth of our nation’s tourism industry.”
Pre and post famils allowed wholesalers to conduct site inspections of the destination’s varied accommodation on Vanuatu’s main islands, Tanna, Espiritu Santo and Efate as well as indulge in a bit of adventure.
Delegates got to have a taste of Vanuatu’s many attractions, from sipping champagne on the edge of a volcano in Tanna and diving into fresh water blue holes in Espiritu Santo to dancing to local contemporary music on the sand in Port Vila.
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