Regional Actions

 The theme of the workshop held in February 2015 in Papeete was "Integrated Management and Sustainable Tourism".

The objectives of this workshop on sustainable tourism and Intergrated coastal manageent (ICM) in the Pacific were to allow participants to share their knowledge and know-how with each other, for specialists to respond to the participating stakeholders' questions and, ultimately, to offer guidelines to decision-makers.

About 50 participants attended the workshop: local stakeholders taking part in the INTEGRE project, the representatives of national and international agencies and consultants and researchers from sustainable-tourism-related fields.

 

The first day was devoted to a field trip to Moorea, during which the participants had the opportunity to meet, discover the site and some remevant themes for French Polynesia:

• A visit to Opunohu marae and its development project (by French Polynesia's Culture Department).
• The issue of beach management and accessibility (French Polynesia's Office of Tourism)
• Punareo Association for promoting French Polynesian culture and its ties with the island's hotels (Moorea Pearl Hotel Resort and Spa)
• The issues involved in whale watching (Dr Michael Poole)
• The issues of environmental labelling and certification for hotels (Earthcheck label, approach taken by the Sofitel Moorea Hotel)

Then, during 3 days in Papeete, alternate plenary, round table and small group sessions allowed the participants to exchange views and experiences on concrete cases.

In order to ensure the educational and operational aspects of the INTEGRE workshop on sustainable tourism, it was based on case studies. This made the topics discussed during the workshop more meaningful while, at the same time, responding to the concerns of participating countries and territories.
Based on real data, the case studies were presented by local stakeholders in tune with the territories' issues. Even though, they should first be considered as tools for group discussion: what was involved was situation training based on concrete examples.
The case studies, the workshop's main feature, consisted of an introductory full session, two small-group working sessions with reporting back to the full session. Four topics were explored:

1. Introducing tourism to an island by taking into consideration its specific environmental, social and economic features, with a view to basing tourism on traditional social structures in order to develop host-family stays (the case of Wallis and Futuna).
2. Managing cruise-ship passenger traffic: how to benefit from the arrival of large numbers of visitors as a source of foreign currency, while limiting the impact on the environment and preserving the local socio-economic balance (the case of Pitcairn)
3. Developing cultural tourism: how to enhance sites while respecting the traditional ancestral values they represent – the case of French Polynesia and Taputapuatea marae
4. Large-scale project design and management: how to host large numbers of visitors while respecting the three pillars of sustainable development – the case of the Gouaro Deva estate in New Caledonia.

 

download the program of the workshop

download the outcomes of the workshop

dowload the participants' list

 

Two innovative areas to be explored more closely came out of the discussions:

• Beginning discussions on a "Pacific label", a signature (cf. the "Vanilla Islands" in the Indian Ocean);
• Creating educational protected areas in the Pacific islands like the one set up in the Marquesas Islands.

The suggestion was made to hold a follow-up to this workshop, perhaps one year on, to assess its outcomes and measure its impact in the territories. Final, the SPC produced a carbon balance report for the workshop, which is attached to this report.

This workshop provided an invaluable opportunity for the peoples of the Pacific to meet one another. It allowed participants to learn from each other's experiences. The discussions were rich and varied and contacts were fruitful: many ideas came out which will help participants have more in-depth discussions in their own territories. Milestones were set for implementing several cooperative efforts, both within the territories (between participants, between organisations, between different levels of governance), between Pacific island countries and territories or even with the agencies in attendance. With the enthusiasm that reigned throughout the week, participants went home as bearers of both messages and ideas for their own territories and agencies.

This exciting week full of discussions and the sharing of ideas let participants get to know each other better and laid the foundations for future cooperative efforts.

The theme of the workshop held in February 2015 in Papeete was “Integrated Management and Sustainable Tourism”.

The objectives of this workshop on sustainable tourism and ICZM in the Pacific were to allow participants to share their knowledge and know-how with each other, for specialists to respond to the participating stakeholders’ questions and, ultimately, to offer guidelines to decision-makers.

About 50 participants attended the workshop: local stakeholders taking part in the INTEGRE project, the representatives of national and international agencies and consultants and researchers from sustainable-tourism-related fields