TOURISM CAN HELP DELIVER A GREENER FUTURE

Christina Leala-Gale is the Manager for Sustainable Tourism Development with the South Pacific Tourism Organization. She works at the regional level focusing on the inclusion of the global sustainable tourism agenda as well as SPTO’s member countries. She is Samoan and began her career with the national tourism office of Samoa. She now lives in Fiji and is passionate about advocating sustainable development and hopes the Pacific can become the “green” tourism destination of the future.

So, tell me how did you get to your position?

I spent over 10 years working in tourism planning and development in Samoa where I became interested in working with the industry and a broad group, including people in communities, government ministries, Non-Government Organizations, partners and donors.  Two key areas of particular interest for me were environmental management and climate change.  I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) where I managed a regional climate change project for 14 Pacific island countries focusing on building community resilience to climate and disasters through improved information from the meteorological services.
When I saw this opportunity with the South Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO) two years ago, I thought it was a good platform to contribute to critical issues like sustainability – which can make a difference in people’s lives especially within a sector that is the backbone of our economies in the Pacific.  I wanted to be part of the team that was driving positive change for Pacific people through tourism.

So clearly you like your job?

Yes, I do. It’s enriching and refreshing but not without its challenges.  I like challenges. The job provides me with the opportunity to work with different partners, communities and the private sector across the Pacific region to achieve economic growth for our countries and people while keeping our environment intact.

How sustainable is the tourism industry today? And how important is it to create a sustainable tourism industry?

When we talk about sustainable tourism, we need to look at two sides of the divide- the benefits tourism brings and the impacts of development on our environment, communities and culture. Sustainability is about finding the balance.  We need to ensure that tourism development in the region is planned and developed well to minimize any potential negative impacts.  We can’t say for sure whether tourism in the Pacific at the moment is sustainable because we simply don’t have the evidence.  And I say that because at the moment, we don’t have the baseline data that proves our sustainability levels.

I am happy that it’s one of the key areas that we are already working on and we have partners who are already assisting us with the establishment of a regional sustainability monitoring program.   If we have a clear baseline to work from, we can add value, because you can’t manage something that you can’t measure.  Having said that, it is also important to note that the sector is already investing in a range of sustainability practices.

What’s an example of that?

Hotels and resorts on the coast are implementing mangrove planting and coral reef restoration projects as part of their guest activities and giving back to nature and communities.  The tourism sector is adopting energy saving technologies, carrying out tree planting as a carbon-offset initiative, sourcing locally and promoting local cuisine, installing water saving and filtration systems and more.

So, thinking of the region – what is possible in 25 years. What would you like to see?

In 25 years, I would like to see a reduction in energy and water consumption as well as waste reduction across the tourism sector.  It’s about the region becoming greener and tourism as a driving force for that. The Pacific can become a key destination for “green” tourism. We often hear that people travel to South America to find “green” destinations. But why can’t we drive our region in the Pacific to be recognized as an iconic “green” destination?  I believe it is possible..