Pacific Island Nations should not have competition amongst themselves when it comes to tourism.

Economy Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum made this comment during the Tourism for sustainable development panel at the ADB high-level meeting in Nadi today.

Sayed-Khaiyum says it is extremely important that the region works together to promote tourism.

“The Pacific is a very small region we need to be able to market our selves with two or three countries. The Pacific Island countries don’t need to be competing with themselves.”

The Minister along with the representatives from Indonesia, Japan, Italy, and ADB President Takehiko Nakao engaged in a robust discussion for an hour and a half on the roles played by individual countries to sustain tourism.

With tourism as one of the fastest growing industries in the world, development in Asia and the Pacific is a key part expansion.

The seminar focused on how the region offers incredibly diverse tourist destinations and how it has become a major source of global tourists.

However, a rapid surge of tourists can also put stress on local infrastructure and have serious environmental consequences.

The panel reflected on their experiences to highlight policy options to ensure a sustainable future for Asia’s tourism.