Pacific engagement by CQUni Tourism
Published on 13 December, 2012
While the Pacific Islands are very reliant on tourism for their economic prosperity, they are also among those most vulnerable to climate change impacts.
That's according to CQUniversity Tourism academic, Steve Noakes.
He has just returned from Fiji as part of a project on community-based tourism, titled ‘Coping with Climate Change in the Pacific Island Region (CCCPIR)' and funded by the Federal Government of Germany agency, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) - one of the world's leading providers of international cooperation services for sustainable development.
"The current Sustainable Tourism and Climate Change project enhances CQUniversity's relationship with internationally significant partners such as GIZ," Mr Noakes says.
"The project includes partners such as the University of the South Pacific (USP), the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), the Foundation for the People of the Pacific International (FSPI) and a range of national government agencies in Vanuatu and Samoa."
Mr Noakes says tourism has an important part to play in major global challenges such as negative impacts from climate change and deterioration of natural resources - "both of which can jeopardise the quality of life for present and future generations across the small island developing nations of the vast Pacific".
Steve Noakes chats with Tourism specialists in the Pacific region
"These types of contributions to international projects in the Pacific islands also assist the aim of CQUniversity to build its profile for CQUni's Tourism degrees and to expand its international distance education market, as well as encouraging international students into Australia," Mr Noakes says.
"Through expanding our tourism linkages with these different agencies and countries, we further develop international and national leadership and eminence for CQUniversity's engagement and academic activity while strengthening our regional commitment."