The World Bank : REGISTER: The Future of Pacific Tourism - Report Launch Webinar
About the Webinar
Washington, June 6th, 2023 - The Pacific has long leveraged its tourism industry to drive growth and prosperity. With the regeneration of the industry post-pandemic, many governments are giving pause to consider how best to reshape the industry to better suit the demands of local populations eager to take part in its growth. In response to this, the World Bank is launching a regional study to take stock of the industry and chart potential options for the Future of Pacific Tourism.
This study examines tourism’s role for development in the 10 Pacific Island Countries and Papua New Guinea, its future after COVID-19, and the scope to foster a greener, more resilient, competitive, and inclusive sector. It takes a holistic approach to analysis and policy guidance, identifying policy interventions that can help stimulate demand across different high-value tourism markets, while generating benefits for the broader economy, enhancing the sector’s resilience, and improving its sustainability. The study focuses on selected issues for the long-term development of high-value tourism that are relevant at the regional level. It strives to consider the different country contexts in the Pacific and to identify priorities relevant for PICs with different endowments and tourism maturity, as well as potential opportunities for regional cooperation.
Join us as we launch this ‘fresh off the shelf’ report for the Pacific!
About the Speakers and Panelists
Stephen Ndegwa
World Bank Country Director, Pacific Islands and Papua New Guinea
Stephen Ndegwa is responsible for leading the World Bank’s program and staff across twelve countries, with more than 80 projects and operations, totaling approximately US$2 billion in support to PNG and the Pacific Islands region. Prior to joining the Pacific team, Mr. Ndegwa was the World Bank’s Country Manager for Serbia, and before that, Operations Manager responsible for the World Bank program in Afghanistan. Mr. Ndegwa joined the World Bank in 2002 as Young Professional and has since worked on governance, political economy, and public sector capacity building across several regions. He has served as a Lead Specialist in the Governance Global Practice and has worked on programs in the Africa, Latin America, Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia and Pacific regions.
Cecile Thioro Niang
Practice Manager, Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation, East Asia and the Pacific (World Bank)
Cecile Niang, a dual Senegalese and French national, is the Practice Manager for East Asia and Pacific, covering Pacific Islands, Indonesia/Timor and Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia for the Finance, Competitiveness & Innovation Global Practice at the World Bank Group. Since joining the Bank in 2004, she has held various positions working on long term infrastructure finance, climate finance, financial inclusion; firm capabilities and innovation; markets and technology; investment and competition, telecoms, and digital development, with her most recent assignment being Lead Economist in the LAC Finance Competitiveness and Innovation team. Cecile holds graduate degrees in economics, business administration and information Systems from Columbia University, Paris Dauphine and Telecom Ecole de Management.
Sara King
GM Purpose, Intrepid Travel
Sara King is experienced in sustainability and a purpose-driven leader with a demonstrated capacity in delivering large-scale, complex, impactful projects in sectors including tourism, government, international trade and private sector development in the Asia Pacific Region. Sara enjoys enabling business and government clients to drive change, create value for stakeholders, and achieve shared social, environmental, and economic outcomes.
Alcinda Trawen
Tourism Analyst – Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative
Alcinda Trawen is a Tourism Analyst for the Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative, a regional technical assistance program undertaken in partnership with the Governments of Australia and New Zealand, and the Asian Development Bank. Prior to ADB, Alcinda was Deputy Manager at UNWTO Regional Office, and Director of Policy and Planning at PNG Tourism Promotion Authority.
Jessie McComb
Senior Private Sector Specialist, Trade, Investment and Competitiveness (FCI)
Jessie F. McComb is a Senior Private Sector Specialist in the Markets, Competition & Technology Global Tourism Team. She has nearly 20 years of experience working with governments, businesses, and communities to leverage tourism for economic development and sector growth. Jessie is passionate about improved destination management and marketing through evidenced-based decision making. Her work focuses on sustainable and inclusive sector recovery, market intelligence and tourism statistics, small island developing states, and supply chain linkages. She’s worked and travel in over 60 countries and is the tourism focal point for East Asia and Pacific. Jessie holds a Masters of Tourism Administration from the George Washington University with a concentration in Sustainable Destination Management.
Target Audience
This webinar is targeted to policy makers in the Ministries of Finance, Economy, Transport and Tourism, as well as for regional bodies and associations that are targeted towards tourism development in the Pacific Island Countries.