SPTO Chief Executive Ilisoni Vuidreketi said they were pleased to have Alisi Lutu assume this important role after the departure of former Marketing Manager Petero Manufolau for the Warwick Hotel on the Coral Coast.
“Alisi joins our management team from within the organisation after a competitive recruitment process within the region, acting as Marketing Manager during the vacancy period,” Mr Vuidreketi said.
Lutu started work with the then Fiji Visitors Bureau (now Tourism Fiji) in 2008 as their Cruise and Dive Tourism Marketing Officer.
She joined the SPTO in January 2013 as Tourism Marketing Officer in the SPTO’s project activities which came under the Pacific Regional Tourism Capacity Building Programme (PRTCBP) which was funded under the European Union’s 10th European Development Fund.
Mr Vuidreketi said her appointment comes at an important juncture in the SPTO’s calendar and as she will lead SPTO’s annual marketing meeting in Tonga at the end of the month where they finalise SPTO’s 2015-2017 regional marketing programme.
“One of her main tasks is to continue pushing our awareness and promotion campaigns for our uniquely diverse island destinations and increase inbound traffic into the region,” Mr Vuidreketi said.
Apart from that she will also look after important SPTO core programmes like the South Pacific Tourism Exchange (SPTE) to be held from June 19-20, 2015 in Melbourne; and international travel shows such as the World Travel Mart (London), Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention (Miami), ITB Europe and Asia, China International Travel Mart and the South Pacific Fest (USA).
Alisi holds a BA in Marine Affairs and Tourism, and a postgraduate diploma in Development Studies from the University of the South Pacific.