Celebrating Achievements and Progress in the Division

Talofa Lava from SPTO’s Division of Sustainable Tourism!

Presenting the second edition of the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Newsbeat for 2024, we take you to the heart of the Pacific, Samoa, as our country of focus. Explore the latest updates from Samoa as we spotlight some of their sustainable tourism efforts including exciting news from the region and interesting events and resources.

The Samoa Tourism Authority (STA) is spearheading efforts on the tourism front as the country gears up to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at the end of the year. These include among others, training support to elevate skills and service quality as well as fostering visitor experience development. Additionally, the Government’s commitment to strengthening climate resilience in the sector is evident through the reinstatement of the Climate Change Unit within STA.

Hear from our new Miss Pacific Islands, as the Sustainability Champion of the month, as she utilizes the new platform to promote cultural preservation and environmental protection. Joining the journey towards the 2030 vision for sustainable tourism, we spotlight the Mailelani Body Care shop. This establishment is setting an inspirational model of environmental stewardship demonstrating the value of encompassing sustainable business practices.

From the rest of the region, the Federated States of Micronesia celebrates Global Tourism Resilience Day by launching its Nationally Determined Contribution Tourism Climate Action Plan as Tahiti undergoes a sustainable tourism destination assessment by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. In support of our collective advocacy efforts for a sustainable tourism industry, Tourism Fiji continues its commitment towards plastic waste reduction through a renewed partnership with the Pacific Recycling Foundation. Cook Islands Tourism on the other hand is strengthening advocacy among young people and college students to love and appreciate their little paradise.

As our resource of the month, the ANZPAC Plastic Pact recently launched a guide to help eliminate single-use plastic packaging for members in the Australia, New Zealand and Pacific regions. Included are some interesting news and upcoming events including training, funding and consulting opportunities.

As the division starts the year with the whole team back on deck, the team has been involved in the following activities:

• Quarter 1 2024 Division Planning Meeting for 2024.
• Division Manager, Ms Christina Leala Gale participated in the Pasifika Tourism Immersion Week hosted by Griffith University as part of the regional research project on transformative models of tourism in Fiji, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
• Kicked off the planning of the Pacific Oceans Litter Project Tourism Activities – Tender announcement available soon.
• In-house consultations as part of Year 3 planning for the Pacific Tourism Digital Transformation Project and Mid-Term Evaluation
• Preparation for stakeholder consultations on the Pacific Marine Tourism Guidelines

Stay informed with the latest news, trends and insights on sustainable tourism development in the Pacific by clicking here to sign up for the monthly Pacific Sustainable Tourism Newsbeat.

For queries, please contact the Division of Sustainable Tourism by emailing sustainable@spto.org