Kiribati’s Minister for Tourism, Commerce, Industry and Cooperative (MTCIC), Honourable Bootii Nauan affirmed his country’s obligation to sustainable tourism development when he signed the Pacific Leaders Sustainable Tourism Commitment in Tarawa this morning.
This regional commitment by the Pacific Council of Tourism Ministers commits to elevate sustainable tourism as a regional priority for environmental, socio-cultural and economic development. The Council further commits to make tourism in the Pacific a force for good by adopting the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Policy Framework to put the tourism sector and communities on a path to sustainable recovery by 2030.
In signing this commitment, Hon. Nauan said that “this is a step forward in the right direction for us as we meticulously work to map Kiribati’s tourism development journey based on the core values of resilience and sustainability”. He added that Kiribati is a pristine destination that is deeply rooted in rich cultural values and must ensure that these are preserved through tourism.
Kiribati’s commitment to sustainable tourism development is framed in the country’s Sustainable Tourism Development Policy Framework developed in 2021. The framework provides the platform for the development of sustainability indicators for the destination in 2022 and its National Sustainable Tourism Policy scheduled for early 2023.
Hon, Nauan will lead his delegation later this month to formally submit its commitment at the Council of Tourism Ministers meeting and Pacific Sustainable Tourism Leadership Summit in Rarotonga, Cook Islands.
