Bula Members,
Jessie McComb of Sustainable Tourism & Creative Industries in association with the UN Global Action for Sustainable Consumption & Production invites information from the Fiji Tourism plant to provide information on existing or planned sustainable tourism practices.
The goal is to create a replicable approach for destinations and businesses across the Pacific to monitor, measure, report on and address critical barriers to improving sustainable consumption and production in the tourism industry. Specifically, the project seeks to:
- Collect, monitor, and report on a small but practical set of sustainability indicators;
- Provide clear motivation and incentive for businesses to improve performance;
- Collect baseline data to provide the foundation for making the business case for
- sustainability; and
- Identify risks, challenges and gaps for future interventions.
In the lead up to the Tourism Forum, FHTA had requested contributions from members on topics of interest to be recommended to the Minister for Tourism at the Forum. Thank you for the responses that were collated, discussed and recommended to the Minister who we found “receptive”. We noted many responses were to do with environmental issues – the environment tax and its proposed use by Government & recommendations on its use, access to fishing grounds, waterways & reefs, marine sanctuary protection program assistance, long line fishing impacts and general sustainable tourism practices that do not get any support other than from guests.
With the focus on sustainable tourism practices now, there may be more opportunities available to members to access best practice training and funding for programs that address environmental and long term business sustainability. As well, this may be an opportunity for Fiji tourism to take a more proactive and therefore leading role in the region for the recognition of already implemented or planned environmentally friendly practices.
If you would like to find out more about this program – please read through the attached information below and contact Jessie McComb directly.
We have also recommended to the Minister that Jessie be invited to speak at the forum on sustainable practices.
The Tourism Forum has been confirmed for Wed 29th March 2017. Venue and Program TBC.
Kind regards,
Fantasha Lockington
Chief Executive Officer
More details: UN 10YFP Sustainable Resource Management in Hotels
