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

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

Background:

Across the Pacific, tourism is entering a pivotal phase in its transition towards a more sustainable, resilient and competitive future. As destinations seek to balance economic growth with environmental stewardship, cultural integrity and community wellbeing, sustainable consumption and production (SCP) and circular economy approaches are becoming increasingly important for ensuring tourism creates long-term value while reducing pressure on natural resources. The challenge is no longer whether tourism should become more sustainable, but how governments, destinations and tourism businesses can translate sustainability commitments into everyday practice. This means finding practical ways to improve resource efficiency, reduce food waste, phase out single-use plastics, conserve water and energy, strengthen local procurement and value chains, extend the life of tourism assets and products, and support more responsible destination management.

Across the region, many destinations are asking similar questions:

• How do we translate sustainable consumption and production principles into practical action?
• Where should we begin?
• What governance arrangements best support sustainable tourism transformation?
• How can tourism businesses progressively adopt more resource-efficient and circular practices?
• What implementation pathway best reflects national circumstances while delivering lasting change?

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 strengthen national approaches to sustainable tourism by adapting and implementing the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Standards in ways that reflect their tourism industries, governance arrangements and national development priorities.

Rather than viewing the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Standards as an end in themselves, STEP positions them as a practical implementation framework for advancing sustainable consumption and production and circular economy objectives across the tourism sector. The standards provide governments and businesses with a practical mechanism for embedding sustainability into tourism policy, planning, destination management and business operations. In doing so, they support more efficient use of energy, water and materials, encourage waste reduction and circular resource use, strengthen local supply chains and create more resilient tourism economies that generate lasting benefits for communities and destinations.

In this way, the standards provide a practical bridge between policy commitments and measurable action. They help translate sustainability ambitions into improved governance, stronger industry performance and continuous destination improvement, enabling countries to progressively transition towards more sustainable, resource efficient and circular tourism systems.

Experience across the four demonstration countries confirms that there is no single pathway to implementation. While national approaches differ according to institutional arrangements, tourism maturity and available resources, the standards provide a common framework through which countries can progressively strengthen governance, build institutional capability, support industry improvement and accelerate sustainable consumption and production outcomes.

Four interconnected implementation themes have emerged across the STEP Project. Together, they represent practical pathways for enabling tourism systems to transition towards more sustainable, resilient and circular models of development:

• Policy and Governance: Establishing governance, legal and institutional arrangements that enable destinations to progressively transition towards more sustainable, resource-efficient and circular tourism systems and the role of the tourism sector in leading or supporting the implementation of Government policy.
• Capacity and Learning Ecosystems: Building the knowledge, skills, partnerships and institutional capability needed to support governments, tourism businesses and stakeholders in implementing sustainable consumption and production and circular economy approaches.
• Industry Improvement Pathways: Supporting tourism businesses to progressively adopt more resource-efficient and circular business practices through practical guidance, mentoring, technology, innovation and industry leadership.
• Resourcing Models: Exploring sustainable financing and investment approaches that enable the long-term transition towards resilient, competitive and circular tourism economies.

To share these lessons, the EU SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component and SPTO are delivering a four-part regional webinar series exploring different national experiences, implementation pathways and practical approaches to embedding sustainable consumption and production into tourism development.

Webinar Series Objectives

The webinar series aims to:

• Demonstrate how tourism standards can serve as practical implementation tools for accelerating sustainable consumption and production and circular economy outcomes across Pacific destinations.
• Share experiences from the four STEP demonstration countries in adapting and implementing the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Standards to reflect national priorities and tourism contexts.
• Explore how governance, policy, capacity development, financing and industry partnerships enable sustainable tourism transformation.
• Showcase practical tools, resources and lessons that support governments and tourism stakeholders in strengthening resource efficiency, reducing waste, improving local value chains and embedding continuous sustainability improvement across the tourism sector.

The webinar series is designed as a regional learning exchange, bringing together governments, National Tourism Organisations, industry representatives and development partners to share experiences, discuss common implementation challenges and identify practical solutions that can be adapted across Pacific destinations. By strengthening regional collaboration and peer learning, the series aims to accelerate the uptake of practical approaches that help destinations embed sustainable consumption and production and circular economy principles into tourism policy, governance and business practice. In doing so, it seeks to strengthen the resilience, competitiveness and long-term sustainability of Pacific tourism systems.

The first webinar will focus on the experiences of Samoa and Kiribati, highlighting two distinct national pathways for translating regional standards into practical action that supports sustainable consumption and production, destination stewardship and continuous industry improvement. Subsequent webinars will feature Fiji and Vanuatu and regional partnerships.

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.  It will explore how regional tourism standards can help governments and industry translate sustainable consumption and production and circular economy principles into practical tourism policy, business practice and destination management.

The session will:

• Provide an overview of STEP Phase II and the emerging lessons from the four demonstration countries.
• Explore Samoa's new Tourism Excellence Program as a practical mechanism for continuous industry improvement, resource efficiency and sustainable consumption and production — embedding sustainability principles across both the Accommodation Standards and the Industry Best Practice Guidelines for tour operators, guides and community-based tourism enterprises. Examine Kiribati's Mauri Mark initiative and its transition towards a stewardship-based model that supports responsible destination management, stronger community participation and more sustainable tourism development.
• Facilitate peer learning on practical implementation pathways that help governments and industry embed sustainable consumption and production, strengthen circular tourism practices and deliver measurable national outcomes.

Moderator

Penny Spoelder,

Tourism Specialist for SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component

Speakers

Agenda