Consultations conclude for the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Policy Framework

Stakeholder consultations for the development of the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Policy Framework (PSTPF) have concluded with the presentation of findings to stakeholders and the Regional Working Group (RWG) completed yesterday.

Held throughout February, the three week stakeholder consultation process was delivered via zoom and also relied on UNDP’s Solevaka platform. The process was guided by the three pillars of Sustainable Tourism: Economic, Socio-cultural and Environment.

The presentation of findings highlighted the following key points:

• Economic Performance and the impacts of COVID-19
• Local Prosperity through local retention and the reduction of leakages
• Tourism to be inclusive of people with disabilities and advancing social equity
• Strengthening the linkages across other sectors within supply chains
• Aligning tourism with the value and needs of the communities
• Protecting and Nurturing cultural values
• Environmental stewardship through contributions from tourists, conservative efforts, sustainable operations, awareness, finance and sustainable standards or guidelines.

It is envisaged that the PSTPF will strengthen the coordination of sustainable tourism in the Pacific. It is being developed by TRC Tourism with support from SPTO, UNDP and the New Zealand Government.

Drafting of the PSTPF is now underway and will include a stakeholder review before it presented to the SPTO Board of Directors for endorsement in May.

Queries may be directed to sustainable@spto.org