‘However we like to think we are one Pacific, many destinations, and we can offer so many different types of experiences between us,’ Skewes says.
The 2026 version of the roadshow started on Monday night at the Pullman Hotel in Auckland and has since taken in Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch – organisers added an extra city to this year’s New Zealand schedule following the success of the 2025 trip.
‘We’re really happy with the registration numbers for not only Auckland, but for the rest of the week around the country too,’ says Skewes. ‘We only launched this New Zealand (in addition to Australia) leg last year and have had so much interest. It’s been really well supported by trade.’
Last year’s roadshow featured seven destinations. This year there were eight, along with Norfolk Island taking part for the first time. Tania Anderson of Norfolk Island Tourism was promoting the destination’s inclusion on Carnival Cruises’ schedule in 2027.
Fiji Airways joined as a sponsor as well, with the FJ team keen to promote the reopening of the carrier’s New Caledonia route.
Also represented on the roadshow were Tahiti and Air Tahiti Nui, New Caledonia, Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and the Cook Islands, with each destination speaking for a tightly timed eight minutes.
The South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) was in attendance as well, showcasing the region’s ‘Hidden Treasures of the Pacific’ – a group of smaller Pacfic nations including Naoero (Nauru), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), Tuvalu and Kiribati, all of whom do not have their own tourism boards.
