THE Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) has launched the groundbreaking ‘This for That’ campaign at the South Pacific Tourism Exchange (SPTE) 2026, marking a significant step in the region’s effort to eliminate single-use plastics from its tourism sector.
The initiative was officially unveiled by Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Viliame Gavoka.
Targeting one of the Pacific’s most pressing environmental challenges, ‘This for That’ urges tourism operators and communities to swap single-use plastics for sustainable, reusable alternatives.
The campaign is backed by a comprehensive toolkit and a Certification Framework to help businesses transition to plastic-free operations, with the ambitious goal of a 100% reduction in single-use plastics across the Pacific tourism industry by 2035.
“The health of our oceans and islands is intrinsically linked to the health of our tourism industry. The ‘This for That’ campaign is a call to action for all of us to take responsibility and make conscious choices,” said Christopher Cocker, CEO of SPTO.
“By choosing ‘this’—a sustainable substitute—over ‘that’—a single-use plastic item—we are choosing a more resilient and prosperous future for our Pacific nations.”
The Pacific Islands’ pristine beauty is under threat from plastic pollution, a problem compounded by the tourism sector’s significant contribution to waste.
SPTO’s campaign, developed with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Australian Government’s Pacific Ocean Litter Project, aims to position the Pacific as a global leader in sustainable tourism.
SPREP Director General Sefanaia Nawadra praised the initiative for turning regional sustainability commitments into concrete action.
“Tourism must show environmental leadership alongside economic success,” he said.
The ‘This for That’ campaign invites governments, businesses, and communities to join the movement, access the toolkit, and help build a plastic-free Pacific for generations to come.