The resort is located on the edge of one of the world's largest barrier reefs. Powered by solar energy, in an effort to reduce the carbon footprint, there are no air conditioners or swimming pools. Most of the food is grown in the gardens or fished from the sea, and all staff are hired from local villages. This is Nukubati on the north coast of Fiji's Vanua Levu island, and it is at the forefront of a growing movement to transform Pacific tourism.
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"Our goal is really to improve our environment, rather than take anything away from it," says Nukubati's director, Jenny Leewai Bourke. Nukubati is a member of Duavata, a collective of Fijian tourism companies that believe their industry should improve the environment and cultural heritage. But the issue is complicated.
Pacific island nations - which are among the world's most vulnerable to the climate crisis - are grappling with how to balance the environmental and cultural impact of tourism with economic needs. There is no enforceable, region-wide agreement on sustainable practices, just a patchwork of guidelines and initiatives. Tourism, the backbone of many island economies, is starting to recover from the devastation caused by the Covid pandemic. The influx of visitors has led to calls for change.
"We must demand a revolt against 'business as usual'," says Vanuatu's former tourism director, Jerry Spooner, about mass tourism. "It is imperative that we consider the impact of our travels on destinations and indigenous communities."
New tourism models are emerging across the region. Vanuatu and the Cook Islands promote 'regenerative' tourism, while French Polynesia promotes a 'slow' tourism model. Bora Bora, an island in French territory, has placed limits on the number of arrivals to preserve its way of life. Palau, an archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean, asks visitors to sign a pledge to act in an environmentally responsible manner.
Yet experts say a lack of monitoring to map impacts, weak governance and limited resources are holding Pacific tourism back from making environmental progress. They call for soft measures - voluntary commitments or certification programs - to be backed by legislation.
The story continues
In a five-part series, The Guardian examines the challenge faced by Pacific island nations in balancing economic dependence on tourism and its impact on the environment - where it has caused devastation, where new models are working and how tourists are making a difference can make.
Regulations have no power
Across the Pacific, there is a web of laws, regulations and strategies related to sustainable tourism practices.
Many governments have sustainable tourism strategies and environmental legislation. The Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO), the region's leading industry group with 21 member states, has developed a sustainable tourism framework and destination standards. They include a range of guidelines, from reducing plastic and energy use to protecting culture. Sustainability certification programs also exist at the national and global levels.
But in practice, most frameworks and guidelines are unenforceable and not widely monitored. Joseph Cheer, professor of sustainable tourism and heritage at Western Sydney University in Australia, says frameworks set "aspiration parameters" for the industry and compliance is voluntary.
"This is one of the biggest challenges in the Pacific," says Cheer. "Whether a company decides to adhere to this is entirely up to them. There is no coercion or punishment if you don't follow them."
While cautioning against generalizing about the region, Cheer says there is a lack of collected data on sustainability measures and a poor record of governance in the Pacific.
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council is a leading organization that sets standards and enables certification for destinations and businesses around the world. Singapore, Järvsö in Sweden and the Australian ski resort of Thredbo are among the places that have achieved GSTC certification. No Pacific destinations have been certified, although some have adopted its standards.
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One of these is Fiji, the most visited country in the Pacific with more than 636,000 arrivals in 2022. The country adopted the GSTC standards as nationwide guidelines this year. Fiji Tourism CEO Brent Hill acknowledges they are being rolled out slowly and remain optional. The sector contributes almost 40% to Fiji's GDP and the government is developing a national framework for sustainable tourism, which will include similar opt-in standards.
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Vanuatu, where tourism contributed around 36% of GDP before the Covid pandemic, was one of the first Pacific countries to adopt an official sustainable tourism strategy. The country, together with the Cook Islands, offers optional ecological and sustainable tourism certifications to companies. Vanuatu hopes to achieve GSTC certification and wants 60% of tourism businesses to be certified by local authorities by 2025.
Yet Stephen Pratt, department chair of tourism, events and attractions at the University of Central Florida, says that across the Pacific, there has been "very little regulation or self-regulation from the private sector" on sustainable tourism. This is largely due to governments' lack of resources, the "tyranny of distance" and the difficulty of monitoring remote places.
New tourism models
As standards and "green" certification systems emerge, countries are trying to attract tourists with an emphasis on the environment and culture.
French Polynesia, a region that includes Tahiti, markets its more than 100 islands as "slow tourism" destinations. Slow tourism advocates spending longer in one place and prefers transportation such as walking or cycling. It also promotes cultural experiences, for example a visit to a taro plantation, where tourists are shown how to harvest and cook the edible root.
Other countries are exploring 'regenerative' tourism, calling on visitors to leave a positive impact. They can help restore a coral reef, stay in locally run guesthouses, or eat locally grown food.
"More tourist dollars stay in the country and visitors have more authentic, meaningful experiences," says Spooner, who now runs the Vanuatu nonprofit Regenerative Vanua.
He says agritourism - which integrates farming with tourism experiences - turns traditional practices "into a story" and benefits communities.
"Visitors who enjoy the traditional food experience help revive pride in local food systems and in turn discourage dependence on unhealthy imported foods, which is a major health problem in the Pacific Islands."
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The Cook Islands' five-year tourism strategy, launched in 2022, includes attracting "responsible" travelers by marketing regenerative experiences, as well as a focus on culture and traditions. Visitors are encouraged to eat local rather than imported food at restaurants, and to support certified "mana tiaki" (guardianship) businesses. Mana tiaki is a free certification system for companies that meet sustainability and environmental standards.
Elsewhere in the region, New Caledonia says sustainability is one of its most important tourism values. Samoa's tourism development plan includes a goal to become a more "resilient, inclusive and green tourism destination."
Pratt says that while the niche tourism segments are important, "they will never get the number of tourists - at least not like they did pre-Covid".
But Dr Susanne Becken, professor of sustainable tourism at Griffith University, notes that while small, locally owned businesses may attract fewer visitors than a mass tourism model, "that doesn't necessarily mean the benefits for locals are lower."
Becken says voluntary schemes such as mana tiaki or the Palau pledge are useful, but "ideally such soft measures are complemented by legislation and standards, for example on phasing out single-use plastics, supported by the Pacific Ocean Litter Project".
A clearer picture of the impact of tourism would help guide policymaking. Becken says there is a lack of data on the carbon footprint and environmental toll of tourism in the Pacific, although the SPTO is working in this area.
Given their remote location, reducing emissions from transportation - by air or sea - remains one of the Pacific nation's biggest environmental challenges. According to a 2021 World Travel and Tourism Council report, travel and tourism are responsible for as much as 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
SPTO CEO Christopher Cocker says that while the Pacific Islands' contribution to global emissions is insignificant, becoming a "green industry depends on transforming the transport sector".
Tourists bring about change
Despite the growing focus on sustainability, prominent Samoan climate change activist Brianna Fruean says the region needs to 'reform' its relationship with tourism.
"Tourists are not allowed to come to our Pacific Islands alone and it is free for all... we are the guardians of our islands, and if we have you as guests on our islands, you must also be guardians, you must Be a good guest."
Richard Markham, a member of the Duavata collective in Fiji, agrees that visitors need to take some responsibility for their impact. Markham says travelers wanting a "green vacation" should do their research.
"If these are not regulated, the onus is on the consumer to identify the products that are most sustainable," he says, while acknowledging that "the risk of greenwashing and a lack of transparency can make this difficult".
Markham says tourists should try to "book with locally owned businesses and operators who express their concerns through genuine commitment to local communities and the environment."
"Visitors can show that they really care and aren't fooled by 'green washing' - and that can encourage the sector to make substantive changes," he says.
