Cook Islands has joined as a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).
Located in the heart of the Pacific, halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, the Cook Islands consist of 15 islands known for their pleasant climate, opportunities for adventure, and relaxing atmosphere.
The Cook Islands Tourism Corporation (CIT) is a government agency charged with promoting and developing tourism in a manner which is economically viable, socially acceptable and environmentally sustainable. Their recently refreshed “Love our Little Paradise” branding is designed to be collaborative, fostering inclusivity and a shared commitment to destination stewardship amongst locals and visitors alike.
Sustainability in the Cook Islands
Te Kaveinga Manava Turoto o te Ipukarea, also known as the Cook Islands Tourism Development Strategy (CITDS), provides a roadmap towards a more regenerative approach to tourism and destination development in the Cook Islands. At its heart, the CITDS seeks to leverage the power of the visitor economy to enhance the well-being of the Cook Islands’ people and environment by assessing and optimizing the impact that visitors have on the Cook Islands culture, community, conservation, and commerce (economy).
The CITDS is framed by four main aspirations:
- ASPIRATION 1: ENHANCE AND LEVERAGE OUR VISITOR ECONOMY
Work collaboratively to ensure the visitor economy generates widespread and sustainable benefits to the Cook Islands.
- ASPIRATION 2: OPTIMISE THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE
Ensure the ongoing well-being, comfort, and satisfaction of their visitors.
ASPIRATION 3: EMPOWER OUR TOURISM INDUSTRY
ASPIRATION 3: EMPOWER OUR TOURISM INDUSTRY Maintain a positive relationship with their industry to help build capability and resilience, and collectively ensure an exceptional offering to visitors.
- ASPIRATION 4: ENCOURAGE REGENERATIVE TOURISM PRACTICES
Ensure visitors have a positive influence on the social, cultural, environmental, and economic well-being of their people and place.
The overarching goal of the CITDS is to ensure the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation (CIT) team and other relevant stakeholders are provided with a robust and practical set of aspirations that align with regenerative destination development for the Cook Islands.
The Kia Orana Values Project is an initiative of the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation to align the country’s tourism offering with the Cook Islands’ core values. Kia Orana is the essence of the Cook Islands Maori people and their culture. These two words share their personality, way of life, and aspirations for the future. The phrase means ‘may you live long’ or ‘may you have a long and fulfilling life.’ Saying Kia Orana means more than hello. Kia Orana is meant as a blessing or a wish for fortune.
Mana Tiaki is another of the three Kia Orana values. Tiaki means keeper or guardian, and Mana translates as influence or power. It means guardianship with a sacred purpose: to preserve it for future generations. The keeper has the power or ability to keep the culture and heritage alive. Mana Tiaki also refers to the responsibility visitors and locals have as guardians of these islands and the environment.
Meitaki means everything is good, well, okay, and thank you all in one. Meitaki also refers to how they are feeling – to be ‘Meitaki’ is to be feeling great. Meitaki is the sound of our Cook Island spirit shining – it is how they share how happy we feel. This value is about how they want their visitors to feel while they are here with them.
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The Cook Islands is currently in the early stages of a Destination Assessment. The Assessment process allows a destination to participate directly in the GSTC application of the Criteria to the destination, understand the destination’s sustainability status against the world’s leading standard, and identify areas for improvement based on the GSTC Criteria. More information about Destination Assessments can be found here.
Karla Eggelton, CEO of Cook Islands Tourism Corporation, hailed the GSTC destination assessment as a pivotal step in the nation’s sustainable tourism journey: “As mana tiaki, we are incredibly proud of our beautiful home and love sharing it with visitors. However, with tourism constituting 65% of our economy, it is crucial that we work together to ensure a responsible approach to tourism and destination development. We eagerly anticipate working with the GSTC team to benchmark our efforts to date against global best practices, and to use this project as a means to evolving towards a collective destination stewardship model.”
GSTC Welcomes the Cook Islands
“We extend a warm welcome to Cook Islands as a new member of GSTC and value their commitment in supporting our mission. We recognize the great challenges and opportunities for sustainable tourism growth in island states such as theirs and look forward to their continued progress and success in their journey towards making a lasting positive impact on both the environment and the community,” says Randy Durband, GSTC CEO.
About the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation (CIT)
The Cook Islands Tourism Corporation (CIT) operates with a Head Office on the island of Rarotonga and focuses on six key markets: New Zealand, Australia, North America, the United Kingdom, Southern Europe, and Northern Europe. It is responsible for promoting the Cook Islands as a visitor destination and providing comprehensive management of tourism for the country. CIT serves as the official source for information on tourism market research, partnership opportunities, and industry news.
More information here: https://cookislands.travel/corporate/who
About the GSTC
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council® (GSTC®) establishes and manages global sustainable standards, known as the GSTC Criteria. There are three sets: Destination Criteria for public policy-makers and destination managers, Industry Criteria for hotels and tour operators, and MICE Criteria for Venues, Event Organizers, and Events & Exhibitions. These are the guiding principles and minimum requirements that any tourism business or destination should aspire to reach in order to protect and sustain the world’s natural and cultural resources while ensuring tourism meets its potential as a tool for conservation and poverty alleviation.
The GSTC Criteria form the foundation for GSTC’s assurance role for Certification Bodies that certify hotels/accommodations, tour operators, and destinations as having sustainable policies and practices in place. GSTC does not directly certify any products or services, but provides accreditation to those that do. The GSTC is an independent and neutral USA-registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization that represents a diverse and global membership, including national and provincial governments, leading travel companies, hotels, tour operators, NGOs, individuals and communities – all striving to achieve best practices in sustainable tourism.
Information for media and the press: www.gstcouncil.org/about/for-the-press/
Statements expressed in this announcement are presented for informational purposes only and should not be taken as an endorsement or recommendation by GSTC, unless clearly stated.
