The South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) has signed a Silver Sponsorship Agreement with the Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association (FHTA) to support HOTEC 2026, the national hospitality and tourism tradeshow scheduled for October 22–23 at the Crowne Plaza Fiji Nadi Bay Resort and Spa. The partnership, announced today, is funded through the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)’s Pacific Ocean Litter Project, a move organisers say reinforces a practical sustainability focus for the event.
Under the agreement, SPTO will lead Day One of the conference programme, convening sessions shaped around regional priorities and the practical challenges facing tourism operators across the Pacific. SPTO will also host an exhibition booth during the two-day tradeshow to showcase its initiatives and engage directly with industry stakeholders as part of its Silver Sponsorship package.
“By supporting HOTEC 2026, we are strengthening regional collaboration while advancing practical approaches to environmental stewardship through initiatives such as the Pacific Ocean Litter Project,” SPTO chief executive officer Christopher Cocker said in announcing the partnership. “Together with FHTA, we look forward to contributing to solutions that support a more resilient and sustainable tourism industry across our region.”
FHTA chief executive officer Fantasha Lockington said the collaboration brings a stronger regional voice and sharper direction to HOTEC’s programme. “HOTEC works best when it reflects the realities of our region,” Lockington said. “Having SPTO lead the first day of the conference sharpens that focus, ensuring the conversations are grounded in what operators are actually dealing with across the Pacific. It moves us beyond broad ideas and into a practical direction that businesses can take forward.”
Organised annually by FHTA, HOTEC serves as an industry-led platform that connects suppliers with tourism operators and decision-makers from Fiji and the wider Pacific. The tradeshow combines a commercial exhibition with a structured programme of conference sessions intended to facilitate targeted business engagement, knowledge exchange and collaborative problem-solving. SPTO’s visible role in programming and exhibition at the 2026 event signals a deliberate push to align commercial opportunities with regional sustainability priorities.
The involvement of SPREP’s Pacific Ocean Litter Project in funding the sponsorship underscores an emphasis on tackling marine litter and related environmental pressures — issues that have become central to tourism resilience in island economies. Organisers say the sponsorship will enable conversations that move from awareness to implementable solutions for businesses, particularly around waste management and coastal stewardship.
With the venue and dates now confirmed and SPTO taking a lead role in the opening day, FHTA and SPTO are positioning HOTEC 2026 as a forum for moving sustainability from policy into practice, while maintaining the tradeshow’s commercial function of linking suppliers and operators across Fiji and the Pacific.
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