Vanuatu businesses which sell handicrafts, cosmetics, and food products will now be able to vend their wares on board P&O cruise ships visiting the Pacific nation.
The initiative has been launched in conjunction with the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, aiming to create economic opportunities for the island's businesses and communities.
The IFC's partnership with Carnival Australia, which represents P&O Cruises Australia, began in 2014 with IFC undertaking an economic-impact study of the cruise sector in Vanuatu.
It found that cruise passenger, company, and crew-spending amounted to 10 percent of Vanuatu's total annual exports.
One of the initial suppliers is a company dealing in handicrafts called Pandanus Consulting Services Vanuatu whose owner is Nicky Barnes.
She told Johnny Blades about local small businesses getting better access to the cruise ships.
P&O cruise liner in the Pacific.
Photo: RNZI / Johnny Blades
Transcript
NICKY BARNES: So the tourism market is a very handy market for handicrafts in Vanuatu as it represents an influx of additional consumers. So Vanuatu is very renowned in the quality of products that they manufacture, and this is an ability provide access for those products to a wide range of customers.
JOHNNY BLADES: is it right to that Vanuatu is now getting more cruise ships than it used to?
NB: Yes that's correct. In the last few years, we've had quite a dramatic increase in the South pacific of cruise passengers, and that's affected us directly with increased cruise liners coming every year - year on year - for the last few years.
JB: What, will you get these vendors coming on board when the ships are docked up in Luganville or Vila, and just directly going on board and selling their wares to the people.
NB: So, it's a pilot of a national programme where cruise liners have selected certain products based on their ability to sell well with the cruise market, such as coffee, coconut oils, wooden items, souvenirs, bracelets, jewellery etc. And those products will be on board every time the ship is leaving Vanuatu. So people who have been out on cruises, snorkel tours or various different activities and didn't get a chance to purchase in Vanuatu will have the ability to purchase Vanuatu-made items.
JB: And this whole thing, it's not impinging on the capacity of these tourists to actually come ashore in Vanuatu and to have a look around?
NB: Not at all. It widens the market. Many people may choose to do activities. Vanuatu is renowned as a place to do various different things, from snorkelling to helicopter rides. There's a lot of young families on board the ship who want to use the time to do those activities. And this gives them the opportunity as they go back onto the boat in the afternoon to also do some shopping.
JB: And just in general with tourism in Vanuatu, do you get the impression that it's still at its fledgeling stage? We know how great the potential is and how wonderful the country is but it's still largely untapped, isn't it?
NB: That's correct. There's a huge opportunity to grow the number of tourists coming from Australia and New Zealand to Vanuatu. A lot of our beauty is largely unknown.
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