Pacific Tourism Climate Action Plan Advances in Honiara

HONIARA: The Pacific tourism climate action plan moved a step closer to reality this week, as the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) brought its Board of Directors together in Honiara to advance the Pacific Tourism Climate Change Action Plan, a landmark regional initiative under the Glasgow Declaration on Tourism Climate Action.

The high-level workshop, reported by SPTO on 22 October 2026, marked a significant milestone in shaping a coordinated Pacific response to the growing impacts of climate change on tourism. Facilitated by Professor Christopher Flemming of Griffith University, the session focused on ensuring the plan reflects national priorities while delivering a practical and unified framework for climate action across Pacific destinations.

What the Pacific tourism climate action plan will do

Delivered through the partnership between SPTO and the Griffith University Institute for Tourism, the Pacific tourism climate action plan is intended as a strategic framework to guide coordinated regional action, strengthen destination resilience, and support the Pacific’s contribution to national, regional and global tourism climate commitments.

The work is anchored in the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Policy Framework 2030, particularly Goal 4 on Healthy Islands and Oceans, which calls for tourism to actively safeguard ecosystems while strengthening community resilience. By aligning with that goal, SPTO says, the plan reinforces the Pacific’s commitment to protecting its islands and oceans as the foundation of a sustainable and inclusive tourism future.

Participants discussed collective action across policy, operations, destination management, capacity building and climate resilience, and identified practical measures to support tourism businesses, communities and destinations in responding to climate challenges while advancing long-term sustainability goals. The discussions built on recent online stakeholder consultations co-facilitated by SPTO and Griffith University, whose key findings and strategic recommendations helped strengthen the plan’s preliminary framework.

From workshop feedback to a first draft

Feedback and recommendations from the Honiara workshop, together with insights gathered through regional consultations, will inform the first draft of the Pacific tourism climate action plan. The draft will undergo further validation before progressing towards its planned regional launch in May 2027.

Directors and representatives from American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Naoero, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna took part in the workshop. SPTO management was joined by partners including the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, and climate advocates supporting regional sustainability efforts.

SPTO Board Chair Adela Issachar Aru emphasised the importance of translating climate commitments into coordinated regional action. “Climate action is no longer a future consideration for Pacific tourism; it is a leadership imperative today,” she said. “As a region on the frontline of climate change, we have a responsibility to work together to build a tourism sector that is resilient, sustainable, and capable of supporting our communities for generations to come.”

An organisational plan already submitted to UN Tourism

The regional plan builds on a step SPTO took earlier in October: the formal submission of its own organisational Climate Action Plan to UN Tourism, reported by SPTO on 9 October 2026. SPTO signed the Glasgow Declaration in 2021, and the organisational plan maps its own climate commitments and priorities, drawing on its Strategic Plan, the 2030 Pacific Sustainable Tourism Policy Framework and operational priorities. Its Staff Green Committee, in collaboration with the Staff Committee, supported its development.

SPTO Chief Executive Officer Christopher Cocker described the organisational plan as SPTO’s commitment to move “from climate ambition to practical action across Pacific tourism”. He said the partnership with Griffith University was about “shifting tourism from being viewed as a vulnerable sector to the impacts of climate change to being recognised as part of the solution”.

The timing matters for the wider climate talks. Fiji and Tuvalu are hosting Pre-COP31, giving the Pacific an important regional platform for climate dialogue ahead of the UNFCCC COP31 conference in Antalya, Türkiye. Pacific countries continue to call for urgent global action to keep the 1.5°C target within reach. Watan News recently reported on another regional tourism step, as East Africa adopted a 10-year tourism strategy to market the region as one sustainable destination.

FAKTA

• Plan: Pacific Tourism Climate Change Action Plan (PTCCAP)
• Latest step: SPTO Board workshop in Honiara, reported 22 October 2026
• Facilitator: Professor Christopher Flemming, Griffith University
• Partnership: Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) and the Griffith University Institute for Tourism
• Framework: Pacific Sustainable Tourism Policy Framework 2030, Goal 4 on Healthy Islands and Oceans
• Next steps: first draft informed by workshop feedback, then further validation
• Planned launch: May 2027
• Related step: SPTO organisational Climate Action Plan submitted to UN Tourism, reported 9 October 2026; SPTO signed the Glasgow Declaration in 2021
• Climate talks context: Fiji and Tuvalu hosting Pre-COP31 ahead of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye; Pacific call to keep 1.5°C within reach

Frequently asked questions

What is the Pacific Tourism Climate Change Action Plan?

It is a regional strategic framework being developed by the Pacific Tourism Organisation with the Griffith University Institute for Tourism to guide coordinated climate action across Pacific tourism, strengthen destination resilience, and support the Pacific’s contribution to tourism climate commitments at national, regional and global level.

When will the plan be launched?

According to SPTO, the plan is expected to be finalised and launched in May 2027. Feedback from the Honiara Board workshop and regional consultations will inform a first draft, which will undergo further validation first.

What is the Glasgow Declaration on Tourism Climate Action?

It is the tourism sector’s climate commitment framework, launched in 2021, under which signatories commit to climate action pathways including measurement, decarbonisation, regeneration, collaboration and finance. SPTO signed the declaration in 2021.

Who took part in the Honiara workshop?

SPTO directors and representatives from American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Naoero, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, joined by partners including the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.

How does the organisational plan relate to the regional plan?

SPTO describes its organisational Climate Action Plan, submitted to UN Tourism, as the first step in strengthening climate action within SPTO itself, providing a foundation for the organisation to support climate action across the Pacific tourism sector through the broader regional plan.