The Details
The Group was commissioned by Tonga Tourism to undertake the development of a Tourism Investment and Development Strategy and undertake an Implementation Program to help facilitate investment into new and existing tourism product.
As part of the assessment, The Group developed a detailed comparative benchmarking matrix which highlighted how Tonga is performing against competitor destinations throughout the South Pacific. Performance measures included brand awareness, visitor numbers, yield, length of stay, cruise ship numbers, level of investment, hotel room capacity (including hotel quality assessment) etc. The assessment also looked at the different consumer perceptions of each of the competitor destinations brands and how this is impacted by advertising and promotion, product development etc.
The Strategy also investigated current barriers to investment in Tonga, challenges with Government rules and regulations (particularly surrounding land ownership) and branding challenges associated with the recent MA60 flight grounding.
To ensure the sustainability and acceptance of the Strategy, the project team met with over 80 stakeholders from the various island groups in Tonga to discuss their perceptions on current challenges and potential opportunities that exist.