Throughout the Blue Pacific, the facilitation of online payments has continued to present a myriad of ongoing challenges. As one of the least-banked regions in the world, payment-processing options traditionally offered by large banks have been inaccessible to many, offering a ‘one size fits all’ approach, including large security bonds and lengthy set-up times. This lack of a nuanced Pacific-first response has allowed for further disparity in an economic environment that is heavily reliant on fluid cash flow.
In efforts to address this growing issue in the region, Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) Australia has continued to support the partnership between Kovena, a global online payment solution provider, and WHL-owned hotel management system, Hotel Link, to develop and launch Hotel Link Pay, a new and innovative integrated payment platform for the Pacific tourism sector. Most recently, this has seen the Hotel Link Pay product showcased at HOTEC 2022, the Pacific region’s premier tourism and hospitality trade event, held this year from 27 to 28 October.
Onorina Fugawai, PTI Australia’s Tourism and Investment Project Officer, said that with record levels of attendance, the two-day event provided a great opportunity to introduce the payment platform to new audiences.
“PTI Australia has strongly supported the development of the Hotel Link Pay product, as we are committed to bridging the digital divide within the Pacific. For us that includes facilitating innovative methods for tourism operators to connect with global markets and working towards ensuring these solutions are as accessible as possible for all Pacific operators.
“Hotel Link Pay was created to offer tourism operators a fully integrated solution to process online payments cost-effectively and efficiently via their Hotel Link booking engine or Front Desk module, and it is hoped that in time this integration will pave the way for Kovena as a payment solution in other industries throughout the Pacific.”
With a theme of ‘working towards a sustainable, marketable, agile, resilient and travel-ready (SMART) industry’, HOTEC 2022 provided tourism operators the opportunity to engage with a range of both international and domestic stakeholders, forging connections while also keeping abreast of the latest industry developments.
Fugawai said the Hotel Link Pay integration came at an optimal time for the Pacific, as the region looks to revive its tourism industry following the COVID-19 crisis.
“While the Pacific tourism sector was significantly impacted by the pandemic, we have now begun to move into a period of recovery. As visitor arrival figures rise across the region, it is imperative we equip operators with the tools they need to leverage this increasing demand.
“Hotel Link is the first SaaS (software as a service) provider in the world to be able to offer the Kovena payment system. Until now, embedded payment systems have only been accessible to very large players in the travel industry such as airlines, large international hotel chains and large online travel agencies. Kovena has changed this, and now has a solution for operators of all sizes, in all countries.
“As the Pacific begins to embrace the digital revolution, PTI Australia looks forward to continuing to offer the Hotel Link Pay product to all Pacific tourism operators partaking in our Digital Tourism program, now and into the future.”
If you would like to find out more about the PTI Digital Tourism program and the Hotel Link Pay platform, please contact PTI Australia’s Tourism and Investment Project Officer, Onorina Fugawai, at onorina@pacifictradeinvest.com.
