Monday, 26 th October 2026 – Port Vila: The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Thursday, 22nd October 2026 opened the Loh Cruise Sanitation Block in the Torres Islands, TORBA Province. The new facility at the Loh Cruise Port of Call Landing Area gives visitors arriving by cruise and expedition ship proper facilities ashore. The opening followed the launch of the Tourism Solar Project on Gaua earlier in the day.
The delegation was led by Mr Paul Pio, Director of Tourism, and co-led by H.E. Rade Stefanović, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Vanuatu, who was accompanied by the Embassy’s First Secretary. They were joined by Mr Noah Patrick Kouback, Director General of the Ministry of Trade and Commerce (MTC), and Mr Samson Vilvil Fare, Director General of the Ministry of Fisheries, Oceans and Maritime Affairs (MoFOMA). The delegation also included Ms Brenda Andre, Senior Cruise Tourism Officer at DOT.
A proper landing facility for cruise visitors
The block provides toilets, a handwashing basin and a rainwater tank at the landing area where visitors come ashore. Expedition cruise ships are bringing more visitors to the remote northern islands of Vanuatu, and basic facilities on arrival are part of offering them a good experience. The block also helps the community keep its beach and island environment clean as visitor numbers grow.
At the ceremony, the chiefs, mamas and youth of Loh welcomed the delegation, and the block was handed over to the Loh community, which will manage it. The tourism operator from Hui, a beneficiary of the Serbia-funded Tourism Solar Project, also presented a woven mat to Ambassador Stefanović in appreciation of the solar power system provided under the project.
Ambassador Stefanović receives a woven mat from the tourism operator from Hui in appreciation of the Tourism Solar Project
Delivered by the Department of Tourism
The project was funded by the New Zealand Government through the Vanuatu Tourism Recovery and Resilience Programme (VTRRP), the support programme of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) to DOT. It was implemented by DOT through its cruise programme, with Ms Brenda Andre, Senior Cruise Tourism Officer, managing delivery, together with Mr John Anmath, Acting Manager of the TORBA Tourism Office.
“Expedition ships are bringing visitors to the Torres Islands, and the people of Loh deserve to be able to welcome them properly. This facility gives visitors the basic comfort they expect when they step ashore, and it gives the community a better chance to benefit from every ship that calls,” said Mr Pio.
Acknowledgements
DOT gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the New Zealand Government through MFAT under the VTRRP, which funded the Loh Cruise Sanitation Block.
DOT acknowledges the hard work of Ms Brenda Andre, Senior Cruise Tourism Officer, who worked closely with the community and helped bring this project to fruition through the cruise scoping exercise conducted in TORBA Province in 2024. DOT also acknowledges the leadership of the former Manager of the TORBA Tourism Office, Mrs Olivet Dorony Lecoeuvre, whose hard work laid the foundations for this project.
DOT further appreciates the leadership of Mr Philemon Collins, Chairman of the Torres Tourism Association, and thanks the chiefs, mamas and youth of Loh for their warm welcome and for taking on the care of the facility, as well as the TORBA Tourism Office for its work in preparing the opening.
Top: the new cruise sanitation block at Loh. Below: the Loh community at the opening ceremony.
Director of Tourism Mr Paul Pio and Director General Mr Noah Patrick Kouback with the children of Loh at the landing area.