The Australia-Pacific Technical College (APTC) held a forum to commemorate the 2017 World Tourism Day (WTD) on 27 September in Suva, Fiji. 

The event was organised by APTC’s Certificate III in Tourism program and featured three guest speakers – Fiji Member of Parliament, Honourable Mr Howard Politini, Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association Chief Executive Officer, Ms Fantasha Lockington, and Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism representative, Ms Jacinta Lal. 

APTC Fiji Country Manager, Mr Jonathan Todd said: “The idea of the forum is about increasing our combined knowledge in terms of issues affecting the environment. We hope that when the students go back to the tourism industry they will take that knowledge and share that with their work colleagues, friends and family,” Mr Todd said. 

As part of the celebrations, 19 APTC Tourism students from Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, created posters representing this year’s WTD theme - ‘Promoting Sustainable Tourism for Development’. 

The students got to hear about sustainable tourism. The guest speakers were also given a tree (pot plant) as a gift to plant and commemorate the day, as part of the program.

APTC’s Certificate III in Commercial Cookery and Certificate III in Hospitality students also joined the celebrations. 

APTC’s Tourism Trainer, Mr Kevin Tabi said that students were encouraged to be part of this celebration because it gave them a better insight on world tourism.

“We have been working with our key industry partners and have established a good working relationship. The students will have learned a lot from the speakers. The outcome of this celebration will then be used to reflect on what the students have continuously studied within the tourism program,” he added. 

This semester is also the first time for APTC to deliver the Certificate III in Tourism program to students at its Fiji Campus. 

APTC’s Certificate in Tourism qualification provides a pathway for students to work in many tourism industry sectors and for a diversity of employers including tour operators, inbound tour operators, visitor information centres, attractions, cultural and heritage sites, and any small tourism business.

One of the students of the program, Ms Alisi Koroveibau, whose career spans more than 20 years in the tourism industry, believes the forum enabled her to broaden her knowledge.

She added that APTC’s Certificate III in Tourism program is interesting, as it allows students to become more confident. “We come with industry experience, and this qualification gives us a boost to aim to do more than what we are currently doing.”