The Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) will convene the inaugural Pacific Sustainable Tourism Leadership Summit (PSTLS) on Wednesday 2nd November in the Cook Islands. Conceptualized by former Chairman Mr. Halatoa Fua, the PSTLS will support the transformational change of SPTO in key areas, as highlighted in the SPTO Strategic Plan 2020-2024. Moreover, it is envisaged that the summit will:
- Become the recognised regional forum for identifying and elevating sustainable tourism issues to the Forum Leaders’ agenda
- Secure enduring relationships with key international and regional partners to promote and develop sustainable tourism in the Pacific
- Obtain sustainable and green financing mechanisms to strengthen cohesion and coherency within SPTO and its member countries
- Target the right demographic of international visitors based on the successful rebranding of the Pacific as the global leader in sustainable tourism
- Improve strategic management of the quality of tourism in the Pacific
Acknowledging that SPTO members are at different levels of sustainable tourism development, CEO Christopher Cocker noted that the inaugural PSTLS will be a timely opportunity for countries to assess progress against other countries that have reached key milestones.
“We are a small yet diverse region with many shared challenges so it makes sense for us to share best practices and lessons learnt, in relation to sustainable tourism development, particularly now as we plan tourism’s recovery from the pandemic”.
“The PSTLS, will provide us with a platform to collectively discuss and agree on key sustainable tourism issues that link to the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Policy Framework and the overarching 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. In this way, we can then seek support from international partners and our Pacific leaders to strengthen our region’s progress towards achieving sustainable development goals”, he said.
