Senior North Pacific Tourism Adviser (Consultant)

⁠⁠⁠1. ABOUT PACIFIC TRADE INVEST

Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) is the Pacific’s lead trade and investment promotion agency. PTI Australia develops and promotes businesses and communities from the Pacific through trade, investment and tourism. At the core of PTI Australia’s work is improving the livelihoods of Pacific people by enabling decent work and economic growth in the Blue Pacific.

PTI Australia is part of the global PTI Network with offices in China, Europe, Japan, and New Zealand. The Network’s mandate is driven by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), supporting the 16 Forum countries from the Blue Pacific: Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Kiribati, Marshall Islands (RMI), Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

2. BACKGROUND

Pacific Trade Invest Australia (PTI Australia) is implementing an 18 month North Pacific tourism packaging and market access program across FSM, Palau, RMI, Kiribati and Nauru.

The program focuses on strengthening trade ready product, building bookable multi-island packages, aligning itineraries with air services (including the North Pacific Connector), and delivering ROI focused market activations with measurable commercial outcomes.

PTI Australia seeks a Senior North Pacific Tourism Adviser to lead commercial execution and convert program activity into bookable product, trade partnerships, and measurable results.

3. PURPOSE

To design and implement a practical market-entry and growth approach for North Pacific tourism in Australia (and adjacent source markets as agreed), ensuring participating operators and destinations achieve:

• improved trade readiness and bookability
• active distribution through wholesale/retail/OTA pathways
• new packaged itineraries aligned with air services
• measurable leads, bookings and attributable economic impact

4. OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the project are to:

• Convert program activity into trade-ready, commissionable and bookable tourism products across FSM, Palau, RMI, Kiribati and Nauru.
• Develop and launch bookable itineraries (including multi-island options) that meet trade requirements and customer expectations.
• Secure active distribution through priority wholesale, retail and (where relevant) OTA pathways in Australia and agreed adjacent source markets.
• Align packaging and activation with air services (including the North Pacific Connector) to maximise conversion and ease of travel planning.
• Deliver measurable commercial outcomes—leads, bookings and attributable economic impact—supported by practical tracking and reporting.

5. SCOPE OF WORK

The Adviser will work under PTI Australia oversight and in close coordination with destination NTOs, DFAT stakeholders, delivery partners, airlines and trade partners.

Responsibilities include:

A. Trade-ready operator pipeline

• Identify and validate a cohort of high-potential operators in each destination (initially ~2–3 per destination).
• Provide coaching on pricing, contracting, commissionability, product presentation, and trade engagement.
• Ensure products are “sell-ready” (clear inclusions, rate cards, booking/enquiry pathway, imagery/content, terms).

B. Packaging and distribution development

• Engage specialist wholesalers and niche partners (e.g., dive/surf/fishing/WWII) to develop and launch bookable itineraries.
• Shape at least four suggested itineraries (including multi-island options) as a launch pad for wholesalers.
• Support negotiation and onboarding into distribution channels (wholesale, retail consortia, OTA where relevant).

C. Air-linked alignment

• Coordinate with airlines and relevant stakeholders to align itinerary design, booking windows, and joint activations.
• Participate in quarterly joint planning/activation sessions; propose practical airline-linked campaign concepts.

D. Market activation (ROI-focused)

• Design and/or lead trade famils and targeted trade engagement activities to drive packaging.
• Support influencer/creator trip design so that content is explicitly tied to bookable itineraries and clear conversion pathways.
• Provide input to cooperative campaigns and microsite content approach to maximise conversion.

E. Market intelligence and reporting

• Provide short, practical market intelligence to PTI Australia and DFAT: demand trends, barriers, trade sentiment, competitor context.
• Feed learnings into program refinement and scale recommendations.

6. DELIVERABLES

Applicants should propose a work plan, but the project should require the below as a baseline:

• o Inception (Month 1)
• o Inception report and 18-month delivery plan (method, partner map, operator selection approach, risk log, KPI framework).
• o Operator cohort shortlist by destination with rationale and readiness gaps.
• o Quarterly (Months 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18). Quarterly market sentiment briefs (2–4 pages) including pipeline status, trade feedback, airline alignment updates, opportunities/risks.
• o Trade-ready and packaging outputs. Minimum number of operators progressed to trade-ready status (target to be proposed and agreed early). At least 4 suggested itineraries documented in trade-friendly format (itinerary, price logic, inclusions, selling points, booking path). A minimum number of new bookable packages launched into distribution (e.g., 5 regionally, or another agreed target).
• o Activation outputs. Design and delivery support for 1–2 targeted famils, including itinerary, participant profile, selection criteria, and follow-up conversion plan. Support PTI Australia's presence at key trade platforms (e.g., SPTE / ToSP) with trade-ready collateral and targeted meeting objectives.
• o End of assignment. Final report: outcomes achieved vs KPIs, attributable commercial results (leads/bookings/revenue where measurable), lessons learned, and scale recommendations.

7. GOVERNANCE AND REPORTING LINES

The Adviser reports to: PTI Australia Program Lead / Trade Commissioner (or nominated delegate).

Works in partnership with destination NTOs, DFAT focal points, airlines, delivery partners (e.g., digital/microsite partner), and trade.

Meeting cadence: fortnightly check-ins with PTI Australia; quarterly reviews with DFAT/partners.

8. DURATION AND LOCATION

• Duration: 18 months
• Applicant to propose (e.g., average days/month + peak periods around famils, SPTE, ToSP).
• The successful applicant would be required to work from the PTI Australia office in Sydney CBD 1 day per week.
• Travel: at least one multi-stop mission across the North Pacific (as per program design) plus trade/airline engagement travel as required and approved by Program Manager and Trade Commissioner.

9. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

• Senior experience in tourism trade development: packaging, wholesale distribution, and/or product management.
• Demonstrated track record launching bookable itineraries and trade partnerships in Australia/NZ (and/or comparable markets).
• Strong commercial capability: pricing, contracting, commission structures, distribution agreements.
• Experience in Pacific (or small island destinations) is highly desirable.
• Ability to coach operators and work effectively with government/NTOs and private sector.
• Strong written reporting and stakeholder management.

Desirable

• Experience with airline partnerships / route or air services-linked marketing
• Digital distribution/booking systems understanding (OTAs, booking engines, lead tracking)
• Familiarity with niche segments relevant to the North Pacific (dive, fishing, surf, WWII heritage)

10. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

PTI Australia invites proposals from qualified consultants for the Senior North Pacific Tourism Adviser. Submissions should briefly outline the consultant’s approach, relevant experience, workplan, risk management, stakeholder engagement plan, team/consultant CV, financial proposal (fees, travel assumptions separated) and references. Selection criteria are outlined in the ToR above.

11. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION

Interested parties are requested to submit their proposals by 5:00pm on 8th July 2026.

12. CONTACT INFORMATION

The contractor will report to the PTI Australia Tourism Manager, with oversight from the Trade Commissioner. For further details and submission of proposals, please contact:

Onorina Fugawai

Tourism Manager

Pacific Trade Invest Australia

onorina@pacifictradeinvest.com

+61 2 8029 0422

www.pacifictradeinvest.com