Regional Pacific Workshop Strengthens Link Between Agriculture and Tourism

International

UN Tourism, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) have concluded a successful three-day Regional Workshop on Sustainable Gastronomy Tourism.

The event brought together over 70 stakeholders from across the Pacific to co-create gastronomy tourism experiences and itineraries that strengthen the connection between agrifood systems and the tourism sector.

Held from 30 June to 2 July, the workshop welcomed participants from the Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and Palau. This event marked a key milestone in the broader initiative led by UN Tourism and the Mountain Partnership Secretariat—Development of Sustainable Gastronomy Tourism Itineraries and Value Chains in the Pacific SIDS—which aims to integrate small-scale producers into tourism value chains.

Gastronomy tourism as a tool for community resilience

Gastronomy tourism holds great potential to foster community resilience by generating additional income, preserving traditional ecological knowledge, and celebrating cultural heritage.

Throughout the workshop, more than 70 producers, tourism operators, national tourism authorities, and international partners collaborated to shape a shared regional vision linking agriculture and tourism. The goal: to catalyze public–private partnerships that support sustainable development throughout the Pacific SIDS.

A collaborative approach to tourism ecosystems

Taking a participatory approach, the workshop focused on building gastronomy tourism ecosystems by co-creating experiences and itineraries tailored to national contexts. This aligns with UN Tourism’s ongoing work in both gastronomy and agritourism.

As emphasized by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, sustainable agrifood systems and responsibly managed tourism are deeply interconnected—a synergy that is especially vital in the fragile mountain and island ecosystems of the Pacific.

Building capacity for producers and tourism stakeholders

UN Tourism led targeted sessions providing technical guidance and outreach support for producers, equipping them with tools to improve market access, design sustainable business models, and foster meaningful visitor interactions. Producers were recognized not only as economic contributors but also as guardians of biodiversity and keepers of ancestral knowledge.

Collaborative sessions with tourism operators and national tourism authorities promoted cross-sector dialogue, aimed at strengthening local livelihoods and enhancing gastronomy tourism ecosystems at the national level. The workshop also provided a key opportunity to advance the implementation of the Guidelines for the Development of Gastronomy Tourism by UN Tourism and the Basque Culinary Center (BCC).

Advancing regional dialogue and international cooperation

The workshop served as a valuable platform for interinstitutional dialogue and regional cooperation, helping embed gastronomy tourism in national development strategies. UN Tourism, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, and SPTO presented a coordinated effort to position sustainable tourism as a community-led pillar of Pacific development, while promoting international recognition of the region’s rich culinary heritage.

This initiative was supported by the Italian Development Cooperation and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) through the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, illustrating how global partnerships can drive sustainable development and resilience.

The workshop planted the first seed for a broader vision: to diversify Pacific tourism while protecting fragile ecosystems. By nurturing a collaborative network, the initiative sets in motion new conversations and partnerships that will support producers and communities, foster public–private collaboration, and highlight the need for national and regional strategies to guide gastronomy tourism development.