Pohnpei, FSM – 26-27 February 2026 – Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) Australia successfully delivered its Digital Tourism Workshop across both the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and Palau from 26-27, and 23-24 February respectively.

Convened under the broader PTI Australia Digital Tourism Program, the two days workshops brought together local tourism operators to strengthen their digital capabilities and enhance their competitiveness in the global tourism market.

Speaking at the workshop, PTI Australia Tourism Manager, Onorina Fugawai, said:

“Pacific tourism operators are increasingly required to engage with international travellers in digital environments where visibility, functionality and trust are critical to securing bookings. The Digital Tourism Program is designed to ensure that micro, small, and medium operators across our region are equipped with the skills and technology to market their products effectively, manage bookings securely and participate more competitively in the global tourism economy.”

The initiative brought together 25 entrepreneurs and addressed a well-documented gap among Pacific tourism operators in accessing and effectively utilising digital tools essential for international market engagement. With global travel planning and bookings increasingly conducted online, operators often face challenges in building a strong digital presence, enabling secure online payment systems, and converting online interest into confirmed bookings.

As a flagship PTI Australia initiative, the Digital Tourism Program boosts the visibility and performance of Pacific tourism operators by equipping them with the skills and technology to market their products effectively to international travellers. Workshops delivered in FSM form part of a broader 2026 regional rollout, providing digital skills training and identifying candidates for further technical support, including the delivery of optimised, bookable websites.

By enabling small operators to reduce overheads through direct sales while simultaneously gaining presence on major global distribution platforms, the program supports tourism enterprises to reach a worldwide audience and secure the bookings that underpin local jobs and industry development.

The FSM workshop covered a comprehensive range of topics, including understanding the traveller buying cycle and customer journey; leveraging websites to drive direct bookings and sales; implementing instant booking functionalities; navigating online third-party distribution channels; and strengthening social media marketing strategies.

The FSM workshop forms part of PTI Australia’s broader mandate to support Pacific enterprises to improve export readiness and participate more competitively in international markets, by strengthening the digital capabilities required to engage with global tourism demand. Delivered across multiple Pacific markets over more than a decade, the Digital Tourism Program has supported the development of bookable tourism websites across the region which collectively generated more than AUD 72 million in revenue in 2025.

This initiative implements Measure 6.1.2 of the Pacific Regional E-commerce Strategy and Roadmap, which promotes partnerships with co-working spaces and innovation hubs to deliver short courses and mentoring programmes that support business skill development in the digital economy.