Celebrating Achievements and Progress in the Division

Talofa Lava from SPTO’s Division of Sustainable Tourism!

Presenting the second edition of the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Newsbeat for 2024, we take you to the heart of the Pacific, Samoa, as our country of focus. Explore the latest updates from Samoa as they continue their efforts for sustainable tourism development including exciting news from the region and interesting events and resources.

From the heart of the Pacific, the Samoa Tourism Authority is focusing its efforts on the resilient transformation of the tourism landscape as they prepare for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. This includes the reinstatement of the Climate Change Unit and other initiatives on workforce capacity development and product diversity. Hear from our new Miss Pacific Islands, as the sustainability champion of the month, as she uses the new platform to elevate culture and protect our natural environment. Joining the journey towards the 2030 vision for sustainable tourism, we spotlight Mailelani Body Care shop from Samoa which is setting a successful example of environmental stewardship through sustainable business models.

From the rest of the region, the Federated States of Micronesia celebrates Global Tourism Resilience Day by launching its NDC Tourism Climate Action Plan as Tahiti undergoes a sustainable tourism destination assessment by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. To support advocacy efforts for a sustainable tourism industry, Tourism Fiji continues its commitment towards plastic waste reduction through a renewed partnership with the Pacific Recycling Foundation, whilst Cook Islands Tourism encourages college students to love and appreciate their little paradise.

As our resource of the month, the ANZPAC Plastic Pact recently launched a guide to help eliminate single-use plastic packaging for members in the Australia, New Zealand and Pacific regions. Learn about some interesting news and events coming up including training and funding opportunities.

As the division starts the year with the whole team back on deck, the team has been involved in the following activities:

• Quarter 1 2024 Division Planning Meeting for 2024.
• Division Manager, Ms Christina Leala Gale participated in the Pasifika Tourism Immersion Week hosted by Griffith University as part of the regional research project on transformative models of tourism in Fiji, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
• Kicked off the planning of the Pacific Oceans Litter Project Tourism Activities – Tender announcement available soon.
• In-house consultations as part of Year 3 planning for the Pacific Tourism Digital Transformation Project hosted by the Marketing team and Mid-Term Evaluation
• Preparation for stakeholder consultations on the Pacific Marine Tourism Guidelines.

Stay informed with the latest news, trends and insights on sustainable tourism development from the Pacific by signing up to SPTO’s monthly newsletter, the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Newsbeat – click here to sign up.

For queries and requests, please contact the Division of Sustainable Tourism by emailing sustainable@spto.org.