Photograph: Suliane Favennec/The Guardian. Retrieved from theguardian.com
The resort lies on the fringes of one of the world’s largest barrier reefs. Powered by solar energy, in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, there are no air conditioners or pools. Most food is grown in its gardens or fished from the sea, and all the employees are hired from local villages. This is Nukubati on the north coast of Fiji’s Vanua Levu island and at the forefront of a growing movement to change Pacific tourism.
“Our aim is really to improve our environment rather than extract from it,” says Nukubati’s director, Jenny Leewai Bourke. Nukubati is a member of Duavata, a collective of Fijian tourism businesses who say their industry should enhance the environment and cultural heritage. But the issue is complicated.
Pacific island countries – among the most vulnerable in the world to the climate crisis – are wrestling with how to balance the environmental and cultural impact of tourism with economic need. There is no enforceable, region-wide agreement on sustainable practices, just a patchwork of guidelines and initiatives. Tourism, the backbone of many island economies, has begun to rebound from devastation levelled by the Covid pandemic. The influx of visitors has prompted calls for change.