Turning Regional Standards into National Results: Practical Pathways for Sustainable Tourism Transformation

WHEN:  6 August 2026     I    TIME:  11:00 - 12:30 (Fiji Time)   I  Platform: Zoom 

Interested participants can contact [email protected]. The joining link will be shared directly once it becomes available.

Background:

The Pacific tourism sector is entering a pivotal phase in its transition towards a more sustainable, resilient and competitive future. Across the region, destinations are seeking practical ways to strengthen governance, improve destination quality, support tourism businesses and align growth with environmental, cultural and community priorities. While each destination has its own context, many face similar questions:

• How do we translate regional standards into national action?
• Where do we begin?
• What implementation approach best suits our destination?
• How can standards become a tool for continuous improvement rather than simply a compliance exercise?

The Sustainable Tourism Enhancement in the Pacific (STEP) Project funded by the European Union under the SWITCH-Asia Programme and co-implemented by the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), was launched in August 2024. Phase II, which commenced in October 2025, provides tailored support to four demonstration countries—Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa and Vanuatu to adapt and implement the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Standards in ways that reflect their tourism industries, governance arrangements and national development priorities.

The Pacific Sustainable Tourism Standards provide a common regional framework that countries can adapt to their own circumstances, creating greater consistency while recognising the diversity of Pacific destinations. Through STEP, the standards are being used not only as an industry quality framework, but also as a practical policy tool for advancing sustainable consumption and production (SCP) and circular economy principles. By embedding sustainability into tourism planning, business operations and destination management, the standards encourage more resource-efficient practices, strengthen local value chains and support more resilient tourism economies.  In this way, the standards provide a practical bridge between policy commitments and measurable improvements in tourism governance, business performance and destination management. Experience across the four demonstration countries confirms that there is no single pathway to implementation. Rather than an end in themselves, the standards provide a practical mechanism for strengthening governance, supporting continuous industry improvement and translating sustainability commitments into tangible national outcomes.

While each country has adopted a different implementation pathway, four common themes have emerged across the STEP Project. Together, these themes form the foundation of the webinar series and provide practical entry points for other Pacific destinations seeking to strengthen sustainable tourism.

• Policy and Governance: Establishing practical legal and institutional frameworks that support effective implementation of tourism standards.
• Capacity and Learning Ecosystems: Building the knowledge, skills and partnerships needed to support governments, industry and tourism stakeholders.
• Industry Improvement Pathways: Supporting businesses to progressively improve through effective guidance, mentoring, technology and industry leadership.
• Resourcing Models: Exploring sustainable financing approaches that support the long-term delivery of standards programmes.

To share these lessons, the EU SWITCH Asia Policy Support Component and SPTO are delivering a four-part regional webinar series, with each session exploring different country experiences and implementation approaches. 

The webinar series aims to:

• Share experiences from the four STEP demonstration countries in developing and strengthening national tourism standards aligned with the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Standards.
• Demonstrate how policy, governance and industry partnerships can support sustainable tourism transformation.
• Support Pacific destinations to identify approaches that can be adapted to their own national context.
• Showcase the practical tools, resources and lessons developed through the STEP Project

The webinar series is designed as a regional learning exchange, enabling governments, National Tourism Organisations, industry and partners to share experiences, discuss common challenges and identify practical solutions that can be adapted across Pacific destinations.  By bringing together all key stakeholders, the series aims to accelerate the uptake of practical approaches that strengthen tourism competitiveness while advancing sustainable consumption and production across the Pacific. The first webinar will focus on the experiences of Samoa and Kiribati, highlighting two distinct approaches to strengthening sustainable tourism standards and industry improvement. Subsequent webinars will feature Fiji and Vanuatu.

Webinar 1:

The EU SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component and the SPTO are convening this first webinar on: Turning Regional Standards into National Results: Practical Pathways for Sustainable Tourism Transformation. The session will:

• Provide an overview of STEP II and the emerging lessons from the four demonstration countries.
• Explore Samoa's integration of sustainability principles into its Accommodation Standards Programme to support continuous industry improvement and sustainable tourism practices.
• Examine Kiribati's Mauri Mark initiative and its transition towards a stewardship-based model that supports sustainable destination management and responsible tourism development.
• Encourage discussion and peer learning on practical approaches to sustainable tourism standards.

Moderator

Penny Spoelder,

Tourism Specialist for SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component

Speakers

Agenda