Update from the Division: July 2021

Halo and Welkam to another edition of the Sustainable Tourism Newsbeat from SPTO!

Our feature country this month is Vanuatu and in collaboration with the Vanuatu Tourism Office we are pleased to share their stories on how the country is pivoting their usual tourism activities to foster hope amongst tourism business operators including through  ‘storian’ (informal meetings) across the country.  Featuring Vanuatu this month is also timely, as it celebrates its 41^st year of Independence.  Congratulations Vanuatu!

Learn about the Tanna Yasur Run, an elite running event which is organized as part of Vanuatu’s Tourism Initiative.  The event is scheduled for October 2^nd and starting at sea, winding through the picturesque communities of east Tanna and finishing on the spectacular summit of Mt Yasur volcano with cultural activities to be showcased along the 25 kilometer run. The event provides an excellent combination of promoting sports, culture and domestic tourism whilst also inspiring a nation.

Read about the inspiring story of how Vanuatu became one of the first countries in the world to ban single-use plastic in 2018 and a special initiative called “Sell your Plastic, Save the Oceans” by The Vanuatu Environmental Science Society (VESS) and Green Wave Vanuatu with assistance from World Vision and the Department of Foreign Affairs. 

Watch and learn about the Sapotem Lokol Turism, which aims to promote domestic tourism and changing local perceptions of tourism.  In this issue, get updated on our work towards improving Tourism Research and Statistics in the region following the approval of the Pacific Tourism Statistics Strategy.

We hope you will enjoy this month’s issue of stories and that it will continue to inspire awareness of our collective efforts in the development of sustainable tourism in the Pacific. Next month, we will feature the Republic of the Marshall Islands, so stay tuned!

Any queries or feedback can be directed to sustainable@spto.org

Tangkyu (Thank You!)

Team STRD