Developing Palau’s High-value Sustainable Tourism Growth and Management Strategy
Palau Visitors Authority
Destination: Palau, Micronesia
Engagement: 2014 – 2016
Under the direction of the Office of the President, the Pacific Island nation of Palau designated the world’s largest marine protected area (MPA) in late 2014, in an effort to protect the pristine ocean and land environment (both intimately linked to the island’s unique culture and people), while encouraging high-value, sustainable tourism.
This designation was largely in response to a high number of low-yield tourists from mainland China responsible for high-volume growth, with little to no investment in the local economy. PVA retained Twenty31 to support a business case for shifting to high-value, sustainable tourism and to link the destination brand to the MPA in an effort to align with the vision and protect the island's culture and natural resources.
Primary demand research and brand mapping
In an effort to benchmark Palau’s appeal, competitive standing, and brand positioning, we developed and launched a quantitative survey identifying travel consumers and travel trade in 10 major outbound markets in Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America.
Stakeholder engagement
We conducted 70+ workshops and webinars across Canada, leveraging digital tools during the COVID-19 pandemic to enable participants from all corners of Canada to participate in and experience the program’s resources and benefits.
Air access analysis
We conducted extensive supply and demand analysis using OAG data. Results allowed us to stimulate air connectivity and frequency between Palau and major Asia Pacific hubs.
Stakeholder and community engagement
We conducted 50+ in-depth interviews with Palauan businesses, retailers, government officials, community leaders, international tour operators, and NGOs to identify challenges and opportunities related to tourism performance and growth. We conducted site visits to major tourism attractions and demand generators to correlate current tourism experiences to areas of future investment.
Leveraging the analysis from the previous engagement and using Twenty31’s our approach to scenario planning, we developed a COVID-19 recovery strategy for Tourism PEI complete with specific triggers. Tourism PEI is now in the midst of implementing the strategy.
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