From 16 to 30 September 2025, the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) hosted a two-week research training program for the Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority (PNGTPA), aimed at strengthening PNGTPA’s capacity to manage and deliver high-quality tourism research through the Pacific Tourism Data Initiative (PTDI).
The PTDI program, funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), supports tourism data systems across 10 Pacific Island countries — Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Niue, FSM-Yap, Timor-Leste, and Kiribati. Its three core surveys — the International Visitor Survey (IVS), Business Confidence Index (BCI), and Community Attitudes Survey (CAS) — provide evidence-based insights that guide tourism policy, strategic planning, and investment decisions.
To support PNGTPA’s ongoing research efforts, the organisation nominated Tonny Kandata, Research Officer – International, Research & Business Development, to participate in the training. The program was fully funded by PNGTPA and strongly supported by SPTO, with the backing of SPTO Chief Executive Officer Christopher Cocker and Manager, Research & Statistics, Prashil Parkas.
The training began with an overview of PTDI and its three surveys, highlighting their importance in producing reliable tourism data for decision-making. Tonny then reviewed the standard operating procedures for the IVS, BCI, and CAS, followed by core principles of tourism research and survey design — including sampling methods, questionnaire construction, and both qualitative and quantitative approaches.
He gained hands-on experience in survey operations, including cleaning email batches, designing engaging surveys in SurveyMonkey, optimising invitation timing, and assessing when online or face-to-face methods were most appropriate. Tonny also developed skills in preparing exported data for analysis in SPSS and NVivo, before synthesising findings into actionable reports and presentations for stakeholders.
Reflecting on the experience, Kandata shared, "The program has been an invaluable step in strengthening PNGTPA’s capacity to manage our research activities. The training was well-structured, practical, and highly relevant."
Alongside the skills gained, Kandata said the purchase of SPSS and NVivo licences demonstrates PNGTPA’s commitment to building internal capacity.
"I am confident the knowledge gained will strengthen our team and ensure these surveys continue to provide reliable insights for PNG’s tourism sector." he said.
"A special thank you to the SPTO team, especially the research team, for their expertise and guidance, and to our leadership at PNGTPA, whose support made this learning experience both comprehensive and impactful. SPTO’s support — particularly from CEO Christopher Cocker and Manager Prashil Parkas — was invaluable throughout this process," he added.
For his part, Cocker reaffirmed SPTO’s commitment to supporting member countries in building robust, locally led research systems.
“This training exemplifies the power of regional collaboration and capacity-building, ensuring that tourism data continues to inform strategic planning, investment, and sustainable growth across the Pacific," he said.
Cocker also commended PNGTPA’s leadership, particularly CEO Eric Mossman Uvovo and Manager Douglas Keari, for their commitment to strengthening national research systems.
"We’re proud to support PNGTPA in this important capacity-building effort and will continue providing technical guidance as they strengthen their research capabilities," he said.
