UNWTO hosts Workshop on Sustainable Tourism Product Development in the Pacific Islands

With more than 70 participants from around the region the UNWTO Workshop on ‘Sustainable Tourism Product Development in the Pacific Islands’ was held in Suva, Fiji, on 31 March 2021, with participants attending in-person and virtually.

A collaboration between UNWTO, Asia Pacific Tourism Exchange Centre (APTEC), Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO) and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, the workshop was an important opportunity for key stakeholders of Pacific Tourism to share and reflect on effective and responsive actions in sustainable tourism product development.

In opening the event, SPTO Deputy Chairman and Tourism Solomons CEO, Mr. Josefa Tuamoto, highlighted the current period as an opportune time to rethink tourism in the region.

“Today is an opportunity where we as a region, with the support of UNWTO and partners, can have a genuine dialogue on how tourism products, experiences and services, can be developed sustainably as part of our recovery process”, he said.

The workshop focused on the following key areas and included presentations from UNWTO Regional Support Office for Asia and the Pacific (RSOAP), SPTO and New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

 Sustainability and Tourism Product Development in the Pacific Islands:

• Restarting Tourism: Harnessing the Potential of Intra-regional Tourism and Sustainable Product Development;
• Innovation and Digital Transformation: New Opportunities in the Sustainable Tourism Development Era

While presenting a regional case study Ms. Alcinda Trawen, Deputy Manager Research & International Relations, UNWTO RSOAP, noted that there is significant opportunity for cross-learning between Pacific Island Countries to address common challenges in relation to sustainable tourism product development.

The case study covered 11 Pacific Island countries and can be accessed here. Recordings of the workshop will be made available in due course.