Ministers responsible for civil aviation and senior aviation officials from 14 Pacific Islands States convened virtually this week to endorse the Port Moresby Declaration formalising their shared commitments to progressing important Pacific regional aviation matters through a new enhanced collaboration framework.The Regional Aviation Ministers Meeting (RAMM), hosted by the Papua New Guinea government on Wednesday, 30 June, resulted in Pacific Forum Member States endorsed the Port Moresby Declaration on Aviation Safety and Security.The Port Moresby Declaration provides a range of strategic priorities and actions to respond to the critical challenges regarding aviation safety and security performance facing Forum Members, who have been seriously impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministerial Meeting was the first such high-level regional aviation meeting since the initiation of the Pacific Civil Aviation Safety and Security Treaty (PICASST) in 2004. Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu attended the RAMM. Forum Member Countries welcomed the participation of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) Secretary General, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Secretary General, and senior officials from CROP agencies including the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP), and South Pacific Community (SPC). The meeting was also attended by government officials form the United States of america and Singapore, as well as officials from the World Bank, and the Airlines of the South Pacific Association. RAMM Chair and Papua New Guinea Minister for Civil Aviation, the Honourable Sekie Agisa said:“The Port Moresby Declaration is a considerable achievement which formally builds on previous commitments and gives renewed focus to implementing a holistic and collaborative regional approach to achieving sustainable aviation safety and security.” “Although faced with many challenges, the message is clear, through collaboration and commitments, our region can achieve strengthened aviation safety and security compliance,” he said. The Declaration demonstrates Pacific governments commitments to creating a way forward for strengthened aviation safety and security. Safe and secure aviation is recognised as an essential requirement to enabling connectivity and sustainable development in the Pacific. Secretary General of the PIFS, Mr. Henry Puna said:“We need to shift our thinking and our approach from ‘business as usual’ and start to explore new and innovative approaches to create a more safe, secure and sustainable aviation sector for our region; and one which promotes the spirit of the Blue Pacific while respecting national jurisdictions and development aspirations.” “The prioritization of aviation in Pacific States is critical to assure the local levels of ICAO compliance which will ultimately restore this region’s significant aviation’s benefits,” commented ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu, “and it’s my hope that the Port Moresby Declaration will suitably emphasize the importance of air transport to national and regional recoveries to Pacific States.” Another significant milestone was achieved with the endorsement of the Framework for Aviation in the Pacific which will enhance regional collaboration through the development of a 10-year Pacific Regional Aviation Strategy. The Strategy will create a pathway to the long term safe and sustainable development of the aviation system to deliver the vision for a harmonised, collaborative and connected Pacific aviation system that supports safe, secure, and sustainable aviation in all Pacific States. The Pacific Regional Aviation Strategy will focus on COVID-19 recovery and long-term sustainable development of the Pacific aviation system including strengthening Member States’ regulatory oversight capability, capacity, and effectiveness. It was also agreed that the PICASST will be amended to better address the current needs of the region to enable a wider scope of collaborative activities, and leverage opportunities including a stronger Pacific voice in the international aviation system. Ministers also agreed to strengthening the multi-functional regional aviation organisation to address aviation issues and opportunities as a key regional priority. In that regard, Ministers recognised the improved performance of the regional aviation organisation, the Pacific Aviation Safety Office (PASO). They agreed to strengthen PASO with appropriate and sustainable resourcing to ensure it continues to deliver enhanced aviation safety and security services to all Member States as an important part of the response to the ICAO Pacific Small Island Developing States Study. Ministers agreed to the Cooks Islands hosting the next RAMM in 2022, before the next ICAO Assembly, to monitor progress and consider the amended PICASST, Regional Pacific Aviation Strategy, and sustainable funding arrangements to support enhanced regional collaboration and a strengthened multi-functional regional aviation organisation.

Even as late as the last decade of the twentieth century, it was not uncommon to hear tourism officials voice their concerns that they feared that too much, or too visible, tourism security practices would lead to visitor fear and a lowering of profits.Then COVID-19 became a reality, and every form of security became important.The twenty-first century first year of its third decade changed all the assumptions of the past.  In an ever more dangerous world, visitors and tourists demanded to know what security and health precautions were being taken, how their safety was being considered, and to whom to turn in case of an emergency. Modern tourism authorities recognize that there is a fundamental paradigm shift underway in the travel industry and that old assumptions will no longer hold. Due to government imposed multiple shut-downs and the need to work from home, living with the business assumptions of only a few years ago is very dangerous and might make the difference between a business’ survival and failure.  Those entities and organizations in the travel and tourism industry that embrace and emphasize security will have a good chance of surviving and this includes parts of the industry, such as national parks, that are interconnected with government.  The venues that provide give good security mixed with good customer service have a better chance of resilience and survival. While no one can produce absolute security, nor do we know which challenges lie ahead, the techniques found below might help you to become a smaller target and recover faster. They can help to you to use security, safety, and health as a marketing tools. The key is to begin with achievable successes and use those successes to build momentum. •             Security and safety, and public health may have different meanings to scholars and in the US government, but in the world of travel they are one and the same. In the post-COVID era it is important that we recognize that poisonous water, poor sanitation, and gunfire have the same results: the destruction of your tourism business. It is essential that the travel and tourism industry understand the relationship between risk management and security. They are two sides of the same coin. Places that receive a great deal of negative publicity, fairly or unfairly, will have to work to change the perception if they hope to survive. •             Beautification and security go hand and hand. When the environment is safe, the visitor also feels safe. Tourism security professionals know that good security begins with a perception of safety. By cleaning your streets, planting flowers, trees and mini gardens around your city, you are not only lessening the chances that a crime will occur but also increasing a visitor’s desire to spend time in your community. Make sure that when you landscape an area to do it according to the principles of CPTED (crime prevention through environmental design). •             Be careful of whom you chose to invite into your community to give advice. Tourism security specialists must know both tourism and security. There are many universities that give courses in tourism but few that understand the relationships between tourism surety and tourism. Invite people who can help a community not merely solve a problem but promote a vision. Tourism security can only be a marketing tool if it is part of a community’s total vision. That means that the vision must be accepted by the local attractions, politicians, police departments, first responders, hotels management, restaurant owners, and tourism authorities.  •             Never create false senses of security, safety when it comes to visitor’s health. Never promise what you cannot fulfill. Marketing disasters occur when reality does not match expectations. Train and prepare your community to be safe and secure. Good security is not a matter of gas masks, but simple logic. Check to make sure your signage is accurate, review traffic patterns, and provide up-to-date tourism information and emergency numbers. •             Develop cooperative efforts with your local police and fire departments, first aid providers, medical personnel and hospitals. Make sure that your first responders, both public and for-profit are aware of how important tourism security is to tourism. For example, most police officers have never been trained in good tourism security. It is essential to have a person work with your local police, private security, ambulance units, and first aid units who can “translate” between tourism and security issues. Most tourism officials do not realize that police and fire departments follow strict Weberian bureaucratic procedures. If your police department’s senior administration does not support a tourism security policy and the training of officers, then there is a low probability of police cooperation. Help your chief to understand that tourism security is good business not only for the community but also for his/her department. For example, too many police departments still believe that their task is to earn money for their communities through the giving of traffic tickets. Have your city government explain to your police department that such policies are not only out of date but counterproductive. •             Offer seminars for your tourism security and safety partners. First responder departments will be much more willing to aid in tourism security if they too see the benefits. Show them how the profits from tourism can help to purchase new equipment, fund a new position or aid their budget. •             Encourage tourism security professionals and security partners to attend both in-person and on-line state and regional tourism conferences. The oldest and most famous tourism security conference is held each year in Las Vegas. Right now many of these in-person conferences are just coming back to life after a year’s absence due to the pandemic. Every major CVB should have a representative at a tourism security conference along with at least one member of its law enforcement agency. •             Know what is unsafe in your community and work with local governments to improve these security concerns. How safe is your local airport? Are hotel and restaurant workers’ backgrounds investigated? How often do we check for updated health regulations? How often do taxi drivers over charge or not clear their vehicles? Do tour companies provide their customers with what they promise? How often are credit card numbers stolen as part of an identity theft scam? What cyber security problems exist or might exist? •             Know who is studying at your local university, especially in engineering courses and who is using his or her academic career as a background for spying. University students act sociologically as if they are long term visitors. Many universities host foreign students, about whom they know very little. Are university students a positive or negative for your community? Are foreign students there only for the sake of academic learning or are they also on undercover reconnaissance missions? Tourism professionals should be working with university administrators and security specialists never to go beyond the law, but also to have a good idea about who is in their community and for what reasons. #rebuildingtravel

Even as late as the last decade of the twentieth century, it was not uncommon to hear tourism officials voice their concerns that they feared that too much, or too visible, tourism security practices would lead to visitor fear and a lowering of profits.Then COVID-19 became a reality, and every form of security became important.The twenty-first century first year of its third decade changed all the assumptions of the past.  In an ever more dangerous world, visitors and tourists demanded to know what security and health precautions were being taken, how their safety was being considered, and to whom to turn in case of an emergency. Modern tourism authorities recognize that there is a fundamental paradigm shift underway in the travel industry and that old assumptions will no longer hold. Due to government imposed multiple shut-downs and the need to work from home, living with the business assumptions of only a few years ago is very dangerous and might make the difference between a business’ survival and failure.  Those entities and organizations in the travel and tourism industry that embrace and emphasize security will have a good chance of surviving and this includes parts of the industry, such as national parks, that are interconnected with government.  The venues that provide give good security mixed with good customer service have a better chance of resilience and survival. While no one can produce absolute security, nor do we know which challenges lie ahead, the techniques found below might help you to become a smaller target and recover faster. They can help to you to use security, safety, and health as a marketing tools. The key is to begin with achievable successes and use those successes to build momentum. •             Security and safety, and public health may have different meanings to scholars and in the US government, but in the world of travel they are one and the same. In the post-COVID era it is important that we recognize that poisonous water, poor sanitation, and gunfire have the same results: the destruction of your tourism business. It is essential that the travel and tourism industry understand the relationship between risk management and security. They are two sides of the same coin. Places that receive a great deal of negative publicity, fairly or unfairly, will have to work to change the perception if they hope to survive. •             Beautification and security go hand and hand. When the environment is safe, the visitor also feels safe. Tourism security professionals know that good security begins with a perception of safety. By cleaning your streets, planting flowers, trees and mini gardens around your city, you are not only lessening the chances that a crime will occur but also increasing a visitor’s desire to spend time in your community. Make sure that when you landscape an area to do it according to the principles of CPTED (crime prevention through environmental design). •             Be careful of whom you chose to invite into your community to give advice. Tourism security specialists must know both tourism and security. There are many universities that give courses in tourism but few that understand the relationships between tourism surety and tourism. Invite people who can help a community not merely solve a problem but promote a vision. Tourism security can only be a marketing tool if it is part of a community’s total vision. That means that the vision must be accepted by the local attractions, politicians, police departments, first responders, hotels management, restaurant owners, and tourism authorities.  •             Never create false senses of security, safety when it comes to visitor’s health. Never promise what you cannot fulfill. Marketing disasters occur when reality does not match expectations. Train and prepare your community to be safe and secure. Good security is not a matter of gas masks, but simple logic. Check to make sure your signage is accurate, review traffic patterns, and provide up-to-date tourism information and emergency numbers. •             Develop cooperative efforts with your local police and fire departments, first aid providers, medical personnel and hospitals. Make sure that your first responders, both public and for-profit are aware of how important tourism security is to tourism. For example, most police officers have never been trained in good tourism security. It is essential to have a person work with your local police, private security, ambulance units, and first aid units who can “translate” between tourism and security issues. Most tourism officials do not realize that police and fire departments follow strict Weberian bureaucratic procedures. If your police department’s senior administration does not support a tourism security policy and the training of officers, then there is a low probability of police cooperation. Help your chief to understand that tourism security is good business not only for the community but also for his/her department. For example, too many police departments still believe that their task is to earn money for their communities through the giving of traffic tickets. Have your city government explain to your police department that such policies are not only out of date but counterproductive. •             Offer seminars for your tourism security and safety partners. First responder departments will be much more willing to aid in tourism security if they too see the benefits. Show them how the profits from tourism can help to purchase new equipment, fund a new position or aid their budget. •             Encourage tourism security professionals and security partners to attend both in-person and on-line state and regional tourism conferences. The oldest and most famous tourism security conference is held each year in Las Vegas. Right now many of these in-person conferences are just coming back to life after a year’s absence due to the pandemic. Every major CVB should have a representative at a tourism security conference along with at least one member of its law enforcement agency. •             Know what is unsafe in your community and work with local governments to improve these security concerns. How safe is your local airport? Are hotel and restaurant workers’ backgrounds investigated? How often do we check for updated health regulations? How often do taxi drivers over charge or not clear their vehicles? Do tour companies provide their customers with what they promise? How often are credit card numbers stolen as part of an identity theft scam? What cyber security problems exist or might exist? •             Know who is studying at your local university, especially in engineering courses and who is using his or her academic career as a background for spying. University students act sociologically as if they are long term visitors. Many universities host foreign students, about whom they know very little. Are university students a positive or negative for your community? Are foreign students there only for the sake of academic learning or are they also on undercover reconnaissance missions? Tourism professionals should be working with university administrators and security specialists never to go beyond the law, but also to have a good idea about who is in their community and for what reasons. #rebuildingtravel