Update from the Sustainable Tourism and Research Division – May 2021

Malo e lelei from the Sustainable Tourism & Research Division at SPTO!

In this issue of the Sustainable Tourism Newsbeat, our feature country is the Kingdom of Tonga! Through close collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, we are pleased to feature a number of industry and cultural festivals celebrating Tongan culture whilst also strengthening linkages between tourism businesses and local communities.

Feature stories for this month include a piece on the Ngatu Exhibition organized by the Ministry of Tourism, to commemorate International Museum Day on May 18^th. Moreover, as per usual, there is also a focus on progress made towards the 2030 Agenda and local sustainability champions.

This month, we have also included a piece on the ANZPAC Plastics Pact (ANZPAC), which was launched in Australia, New Zealand and Pacific region to unite over 550 member organizations behind the shared vision of a circular economy for plastic.

 Lastly, we thank all our valued member countries, partners and stakeholders for your contribution to the development of the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Policy Framework (PSTPF) and the Pacific Tourism Statistics Strategy (PTSS), both of which were approved by the SPTO Board of Directors in late May. We hope that these stories continue to remind us of the importance of our collective efforts in ensuring the sustainability of Pacific tourism, alongside the promotion and preservation of our rich culture and heritage.

In keeping with the spirit of celebration, we also congratulate the Cook Islands for the opening of its two-way travel bubble with New Zealand, which is a sign of great things to come for the Pacific!

Next month, we will feature Samoa’s sustainability journey so please stay tuned!

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

Malo,

Team STRD