2025 Global Sustainable Tourism Conference welcomes 350 delegates to Fiji

Bringing together tourism professionals, destination representatives, academics and sustainability experts from around the world to discuss key challenges and solutions in advancing sustainable tourism practice, Fiji’s hosting of the 2025 Global Sustainable Tourism Conference (GSTC) has concluded.

Welcoming 350 delegates from more than 40 countries to Fiji’s Sheraton in Denarau from 5th to 8th August, the conference emphasised the importance of sustainable travel and destination stewardship, particularly in coastal and island contexts.

The event began with a two-day intensive pre-conference training on Sustainable Tourism, held on 3rd and 4th August, where participants engaged in in-depth learning and dialogue. On 5th August, the III GSTC Academic Symposium took place, providing a platform for scholars and practitioners to present research and case studies related to sustainability, community engagement, and destination resilience.

Fantasha Lockington, Deputy Chair of Tourism Fiji Board, opened the day of the conference, alongside Dr Kelly Bricker, Associate Dean of the HNU-ASU Joint International College (HAIC) and GSTC Vice-Chair; GSTC Chief Executive, Randy Durband and Dr Mihee Kang, GSTC Chief Assurance Officer. They delivered the opening speeches that set the tone for the event, emphasising the significance of sustainable tourism and a collective commitment to building resilient and responsible travel practices.

The conference program was structured around three core themes: Coastal & Island Tourism, Community, Culture, and Responsible Development, and Climate Resilience, Adaptation, and Sustainable Recovery. These thematic tracks provided a clear framework for the sessions, enabling participants to engage with relevant content provided by renowned speakers.

The Global Conference, held on 6th and 7th August, featured a wide range of sessions exploring pressing issues in tourism today, including panel discussions on Small Island Destination Management, Reef Protection, Coral Restoration, Responsible Diving, Sustainability in Attractions, Hospitality, Events, Sustainability Measurement and Evaluation, and Environmental Regeneration.

Commenting on the conference success, Durband advised “we work hard to operate conferences packed with useful and practical information and updates from real practitioners on solutions to the challenges of the transition to more sustainable forms of tourism.

“While maintaining a global perspective, by hosting GSTC2025 in Fiji, we included a focus on challenges and solutions unique to island nations.”

The event also included two evening receptions that offered valuable networking opportunities and moments of cultural exchange.

Travel Redefined: Tourism for People and Planet
GSTC2025 also featured a special session to introduce the project ‘Travel Redefined: Tourism for People and Planet’, produced by Content With Purpose (CWP) in partnership with GSTC. This preview screening introduced the GSTC’s new global video series, showcasing stories from around the world that will bring the GSTC Standards to life.

Following the conference, participants were invited to explore Fiji through a variety of post-conference tours. These included visits to local villages, cultural performances, and nature-based and community activities such as the Naidiri Marine Biodiversity Park, designed to showcase the country’s commitment to sustainable tourism.

GSTC2025 Fiji served as a milestone event for the global sustainable tourism community, reinforcing the importance of collaboration, education, and local empowerment. By hosting the conference in Fiji, GSTC underscored the vital role that island destinations play in the global tourism ecosystem and the need for coordinated efforts to protect these environments.

Carbon Footprint Measurement and Other Sustainable Practices during the Conference
As with previous GSTC Conferences, the carbon footprint of the event and the travel of all attendees is calculated and is being offset through ReForest. Other sustainable event practices were carried out, such as reducing paper and plastic usage to a minimum: printing to a minimum, badges made of recyclable paper, and no single-use plastic was used during the conference. Meals were made from locally sourced produce and were mostly vegetarian.

Reforest, an Australian social enterprise dedicated to helping travel and events leave a positive legacy for climate, nature, and local communities, served as a sustainability partner for GSTC2025 in Fiji. As part of this collaboration, Reforest is planting a tree on behalf of every attendee, in partnership with Conservation International, through a local reforestation project in the Ra Province on the island of Viti Levu. Each tree planted will contribute to removing CO₂ from the atmosphere, restoring degraded landscapes to support wildlife, and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for nearby villages.

GSTC
As a global organisation, GSTC rotates its annual conference across different regions of the world each year to ensure inclusivity and representation. This approach allows stakeholders from diverse regions to participate in person without always having to travel long distances.

Hosting the 2025 conference in Fiji is part of this commitment, following conferences in Singapore (2024), Spain (2022), Botswana (2018), Chile (2017), and other regions in previous years.

GSTC 2026 will be held on the Thai island of Phuket.

Click here for information on GSTC2026 in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Calendar.

Main image shows Deputy Chair of Tourism Fiji Board, Fantasha Lockington; GSTC Chief Executive, Randy Durband; Fiji Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation - Hon Viliame Gavoka and GSTC Vice Chair, Dr Kelly Bricker.