Celebrating Achievements and Progress in the Division – August 2024

Ekamawir Omo and welcome to another monthly edition of SPTO’s Pacific Sustainable Tourism Newsbeat!

For our August update, we are excited to showcase for the first time the beautiful country of Nauru as our country of focus! We are witnessing the National Tourism Organisation teaming up with stakeholders in advancing sustainable tourism. Spearheading such efforts is the Sustainable Tourism Working Group, which has been set up to identify and lead the implementation of key priorities to boost sustainable tourism in Nauru. One of the three priorities includes the enhancement of Inbound Tour Operations and Services. Support was provided through a free Tour Guide Training for local youths and maintenance of national trails and landmarks.

More information on these initiatives is detailed in the Newsbeat. As our sustainability champion of the month, we are spotlighting Miss Nauru 2023, Rosita Roma Rokobuli, in recognition of her Scaevola Sericea Replanting Initiative, a plant used for traditional medicine and served as the inspiration for her traditional wear during the Miss Pacific Islands Pageant earlier this year.  The initiative also aims to support nation wide efforts for the prevention of coastal erosion. We commend the hardworking team from the Nauru Tourism Office and their efforts in actively creating and promoting sustainable initiatives that aim to protect the country’s unique environment and preserve its cultural heritage for generations to come.

In the Newsbeat, we also have news from around the region, including some exciting updates from PNG, Kiribati, Tonga, FSM, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu and SPTO. The month’s must-have tool for success is a study on the Development of a Pacific Region Compendium and Assessment of Current Research into Substitutes for Single-use Plastics and their Practical Application. Some on-the-horizon events and opportunities are included in the Newsbeat before concluding with our usual sustainable tourism tips.

From the SPTO Division of Sustainable Tourism, here are some updates and what the team has been up to:

• Hosted the Tourism and Sustainable Development session as part of the recent Young Pacific Leaders Workshop in Suva, Fiji.
• Stakeholder review of the draft Responsible Marine Wildlife Viewing Guidelines
• Preparation for the establishment of the regional working group for youths in tourism
• Conducted the first Pacific cohort peer-to-peer session as part of the Climate Champions and Destination Management Training.
• Providing support for the review of the next iteration of the SPTO Strategic Plan
• Development of the e-learning modules as part of the Cultural Tourism Training
• Farewell of our Danish Intern, who has been supporting the division with the Geopark initiative in collaboration with SPC.
• Review and finalise the draft design plan for the Standards and Certification Programme for phasing out single-use plastics in the Pacific Tourism Sector.

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive updates, invitations and announcements from the SPTO Division of Sustainable Tourism. Stay tuned for our next Newsbeat for September, a special edition celebrating World Tourism Day 2024.

For any queries, email sustainable@spto.org .