19 June 2015: Participants agreed on a plan of action to strengthen tourism in the Pacific region at a marine-based ecotourism conference. The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is expected to discuss the project and its framework at its annual meeting in September 2015.

The ‘Blue Days’ Conference developed the framework for a multiyear programme under the ‘Blue Days Project.’ The framework focuses on marine wildlife, such as dolphins, sharks, turtles and whales, and the potential to grow the Pacific’s economy through sustainable use of the region’s marine resources and strengthened marine-based ecotourism. It also emphasizes the importance of involving local communities in the management of wildlife and tourism.

SPREP’s Threatened and Migratory Species Officer, Michael Donoghue, described the project as “a win-win all round,” noting that it will contribute to “the protection and safeguarding of our marine species as well as a growing economy through marine-based ecotourism.”

The Government of French Polynesia and SPREP jointly organized the conference, which convened from 1-5 June 2015 in French Polynesia. SPREP and the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) will serve as the lead organizations for the Blue Days Project. [SPREP Press Release]