About OSTA

The Oceanic Global Sustainable Tourism Alliance (OSTA) is an opportunity for sustainable community-benefit tourism in the Pacific Islands modeled on the Global Sustainable Tourism Alliance (www.gstalliance.org). The GSTA is a USAID program that allows tourism destinations in developing countries to access world-class expertise with proven success in addressing sustainable development challenges. While modeled on the GSTA and drawing upon the willingness of US AID to mentor/assist, partners from nations located in, or highly active in, the South Pacific region are identified from regional bilateral and multi-lateral donors.

 Photos by Suzanne Noakes, suzanne@pacificasiatourism.org

In addition, as communities across the globe come to grips with adapting to climate change, the OSTA addresses new and inspiring ways of how vulnerable small island developing communities may “climate proof” their important tourism economies in the years and decades to come.

The OSTA aims to bring together leading NGO, University and private international development organizations to assist destinations with designing and implementing innovative, integrated, and market-based tourism approaches that foster sustainable futures for individuals, local communities, small enterprises and societies.

Increasingly, various bilateral and multi-lateral international development agencies have turned to sustainable tourism programs and activities to achieve strategic objectives related to economic growth and poverty reduction, biodiversity conservation, natural resources management, adapting to climate change and connecting communities with low-cost information technologies.

Discussions on the potential and challenges facing the small island economies of the Pacific held on Monday 27 August 2007 at the Washington DC offices of Counterpart International between Lelei LeLaulu, President of Counterpart International (CI) and senior representatives of Pacific Asia Tourism Pty. Ltd. (Steve Noakes, Managing Director, Pacific Asia Tourism & Adjunct Professor in Tourism at Griffith University, Australia) and Professor Terry de Lacy (Chair in Sustainable Tourism and Environmental Policy, Victoria University, Australia).

Impressed with the direction of the GSTA, the President of Counterpart International suggested the name, Oceania Sustainable Tourism Alliance (OSTA), to lead the development of a similar and appropriate network for the Pacific Islands region. Subsequent meetings in Washington DC with senior representatives from USAID, National Geographic Society and Solimar International who are actively engaged with the GSTA indicated a willingness to assist where appropriate the establishment of OSTA.

The Washington DC meetings on August 07 followed on from previous communications between Steve Noakes and Rex Horoi, Executive Director, The Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific International, based in Fiji (In the 1970’s, US AID funding enabled The Foundation to establish permanent, full time officers in a number of South Pacific nations, including Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Kiribati.)

On November 04, 2007, at the annual meeting of the members of the Foundation of the People of the South Pacific International, held in Savai, Samoa, Noakes, LeLaulu & de Lacy presented the OSTA idea which received positive feedback from the large network of South Pacific NGOs present.

Sowing the seeds of OSTA in Samoa, November, 2007 L to R: Lelie LeLaulu, Steve Noakes, Rex Horoi, Terry de Lacy

The OSTA concept also builds on previous attempts to establish some form of regional tourism research capacity between USP, the South Pacific Tourism Organisation and Universities based in Australia and New Zealand.

In early 2008, a Working Party from Counterpart International, Foundation for the People of the Pacific International, Pacific Asia Tourism Pty Ltd, Victoria University and the Australian Foundation for the Peoples of Asia and Pacific met with senior Australian Government and New Zealand Government international development representatives to present the OSTA concept and seek support to for its planned programs.

Rex Horoi, CEO of the Foundation for the People of the Pacific International & Lelei LeLaulu, President of the Washington DC based Counterpart International during OSTA meetings in Canberra with Hon Bob McMullan, Parliamentary Secretary for International Development, Australian Government and senior officials of AusAID. Lelei then traveled to New Zealand for high level talks with Foreign Affairs and International Development representatives of the New Zealand Government.

OSTA Mission:

Working with Pacific Communities through sustainable tourism programmes to deliver economic growth, community benefit & connection, cultural & environmental stewardship and adaptations to climate change.