Papua New Guinea becomes the 19th signatory of the Pacific Leader’s Sustainable Tourism Commitment

The Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) has welcomed Papua New Guinea as the most recent signatory of the Pacific Leader’s Sustainable Tourism Commitment (SOC), which consolidates support for collective action on the implementation of the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Policy Framework (PSTPF).

With the backing of SPTO’s Council of Tourism Ministers, the SOC is a high level advocacy tool for sustainable tourism development in the region. This support is set to strengthen the upcoming Pacific Sustainable Tourism Leadership Summit (PSTLS), to be convened in French Polynesia on 16^th – 17^th October, 2023.

In signing the SOC, Hon. Isi Henry Leonard, Minister for Tourism Arts and Culture for Papua New Guinea, acknowledged the importance of the ambitions of the PSTPF which are formalized through the SOC.

“Having recently launched the Papua New Guinea Tourism Sector Development Plan 2022-2026, endorsement of the SOC is the next logical step to ensure alignment to regional commitments. Papua New Guinea is pleased to be joining other SPTO members in bolstering our commitment to sustainable tourism development in the Pacific”, he said.

SPTO Chief Executive, Mr. Christopher Cocker, acknowledged Papua New Guinea’s commitment and commended SPTO’s membership for enabling a cohesive approach to sustainable tourism development, through the implementation of the PSTPF.

“On behalf of SPTO’s membership, I warmly welcome and congratulate Papua New Guinea as the latest signatory of the SOC. As an important contributor to Pacific Tourism earnings, their support for regional commitments such as this is invaluable. With support from 19 of our Pacific Island members, the SOC has great potential to be a catalyst for positive change in our industry. I commend our members for their ongoing support of SPTO and the work that we are progressing”, said Mr. Cocker.

To date the SOC has been signed by Federates States of Micronesia, New Caledonia, Samoa, Niue, Vanuatu, Timor Leste, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Cook Islands, American Samoa, Fiji, Wallis & Futuna, Nauru, Tuvalu, Republic of the Marshall Islands and Papua New Guinea.