The Office of Commerce, Investment & Tourism (OCIT), in partnership with the Asian
Development Bank’s Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI) organized a
week-long series of workshops and stakeholder engagements regarding the RMI
Sustainable Tourism High Level Policy and Development Strategy 2025-2030. PSDI
consultant, Tracy Johnston, visited RMI between August 27th and September 6th to
gather feedback and insights from tourism partners, government agencies, non-
governmental organizations, and other key stakeholders to informthe strategy.
A total of 80+ participants were consulted during the course of the engagement.
The workshops and stakeholder engagements were designed to gather
collaborative insights to inform the development of tourism in response to the RMI
National Strategic Plan 2020-2030 and the GRMI Agenda 2030. And also to ensure
that the policy/strategy is in alignment with the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Policy
Framework which the RMI signed in 2023.
Participants engaged in open dialogues, voicing concerns about local
communities' limited understanding of tourism within the RMI. When deliberating on
strategies to foster sustainable growth in visitor numbers, suggestions emphasized
the importance of enhancing air travel accessibility, improving visitor amenities,
providing affordable accommodation choices, and advancing product offerings,
among other key considerations. Furthermore, recommendations included
establishing a dedicated committee to uphold the cleanliness of the islands, with
an emphasis on involving landowners and traditional leaders. The notion of
establishing a specialized tourism task force emerged during discussions,
alongside the proposal to incorporate tourism-related subjects into the RMI’s
education system.
The RMI Sustainable Tourism High Level Policy and Development Strategy is
expected to be finalized and launched later this year.