Samoa has pledged its full support towards strategic regional efforts to elevate sustainable tourism as a regional priority for environmental, socio-cultural and economic development, through the signing of the Pacific Leaders Statement of Commitment on Sustainable Tourism in the Pacific by 2030.
Minister of Tourism, Hon. Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster signed the Commitment at the recent Pacific Council of Tourism Ministers Meeting in October, reaffirming Samoa’s shared commitment to make tourism in the Pacific a force for good by adopting the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Policy (PSTP) Framework to put the sector and our communities on a path to sustainable recovery by 2030.
The Pacific Leader’s Commitment is inspired by Pacific nations, Industry, Civil Society, Development Partners and Global Agencies who are committed to advancing sustainable tourism across the Pacific.
The PSTP Framework sets out the vision, policies and actions needed to transform tourism to make it more sustainable and provide greater benefits to the communities of the Pacific. It calls on all partners and stakeholders to co-ordinate and collaborate to advance the vision for sustainable tourism by supporting prosperous and resilient economies, empowering communities, amplifying and promoting culture, accelerating climate action, protecting ecosystems and building resilience.
The shared vision of the Leaders is encompassed in the Framework, which provides a pathway for the tourism sector to play its part in support of the Pacific’s global, regional and national commitments.
The development of the PSTP Framework is a regional initiative coordinated and driven by SPTO and its Member Countries through research, analyses, knowledge-sharing and consultations.
Sustainable tourism is a key priority for Samoa and this is emphasised in the overarching goal of the Samoa Tourism Sector Plan 2021-2026 which is being finalised - for Samoa to be a better, more sustainable and resilient tourism destination with the aim of surviving and then thriving post COVID19.
At the Minister’s Meeting, it was noted that Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, New Caledonia and Niue had signed the Commitment while Cook Islands, French Polynesian, Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Timor Leste and Kiribati had pledged their support in principle and commitment to sign.