South Pacific travel and visitor guide with hotel, airport, airline and vacation information. Compare South Pacific vacation packages, hotels and cruise deals for American Samoa, Bora Bora, Fiji, Moorea, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tonga and Vanuatu.

About Visiting South Pacific Islands

Tourists can make a big difference by only supporting the type of tourism that is not harmful to the environment and is supportive of local communities working to gain or maintain sustainable livelihoods. The seven points of the Code are a good place to start.

Learn about the country

You'll have a better time if you do some research about the place before you visit and learn a few words of the local language or dialect.

Remember that the Pacific Islands are not one homogenous group. There are differences in customs, dialects, languages and etiquette between and within Pacific Island countries.

Know the appropriate cultural behaviour

If you respect the local customs, and the dignity and rights of the local people, in turn, you'll be better respected as a visitor.

It's good to be aware that while you're wandering around on holiday, people are going about their normal lives. What's appropriate in one country or village may not be appropriate in another; what's appropriate in town may not be appropriate in villages, but here's a few general tips:
• Don't take photos without asking
• Don't enter into people's private spaces/homes without invitation
• Pacific peoples tend to be more modest than some tourists; showing shoulders, or sometimes even thighs when swimming may be inappropriate outside tourist resorts
• Giving money and/or gifts to children can be inappropriate and there are concerns about an increase in begging throughout the Pacific. If you want to support the local community, you might like to support local initiatives or community projects instead.

Protect the coral

The coral reefs in the Pacific are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of tourism. Coral reefs are living organisms that can be destoyed by people touching, walking on, or taking away items from the reef. Harvesting the coral to satisfy tourist demand for jewellery and trinkets is also damaging.

As long as tourists demand to be taken walking on the coral, or continue to buy coral products, some people will keep selling those services and products. If you want to have mementoes of your trip you might instead opt to buy locally-made traditional art and craftworks.

Minimise environmental impact

Pollution is becoming a major problem in the Pacific and tourists have contributed majorly to this. In Fiji, for example, bad flooding is exacerbated through rivers being clogged with plastic bottles and bags.

You can help by reusing your water bottle, using filtered water or iodine tablets if you're concerned about the cleanliness of local supply.

You can refuse plastic bags at supermarkets or shops.

In some places in the Pacific, water is scarce and power is costly to generate. Pitch in with the locals and try and keep your usage low.

Support local initiatives

Part of the fun of a holiday is trying new things and living in a different way to how you do at home. Rather than going for a steak and chips or a tofu burger, try some of the local food and drink - every bottle of coke has to be imported and transported in, all of which impacts negatively on the environment. Besides, purchasing imported goods usually costs you more!

Make sure the "genuine pacific fine mat" you're thinking of buying, or that great light-up coconut palm doesn't have a Made in China sticker on the bottom of it. Give something back to those who have accepted you into their home country, and look for local produce and products.

Consider staying in locally-owned accommodation and supporting local tour operators.

Pay a fair price

In most parts of the Pacific bartering is unacceptable and prices are fixed.  Local tradespeople set what they consider to be a fair price and may be insulted if you offer anything lower.

In some of the larger towns like Suva (Fiji), bartering may be appropriate at the market places, but the local visitors centre will be able to tell you. Check up about the local protocol before you start haggling for the best deal.

Remember that while you're hunting round for the best bargain, the cheapest prices may mean that the people involved in manufacture could well have been paid the least.

Think about your impact

When you're travelling, you are a guest in somebody else's home. As well as taking care to repect the particular customs of your hosts, don't do anything you wouldn't do at home.

The spread of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) including HIV / AIDS are a growing concern in the Pacific. As a tourist, you have a responsibility to practise safe and responsible sex.

Many people in Pacific Islands have very different attitudes to sex than tourists. What you think of as a casual fling may have far more serious implications for a local.

It doesn't take much to make your trip a positive experience for everyone.

Other things to think about

There are no universal standards for "ecotourism", "sustainable tourism" or "responsible tourism". While there are many genuine operators promoting themselves under one of these slogans, others might just be jumping on the trendy ecotourism bandwagon.

The term "ecotourism", for example, is common today and could refer to anything from bungy-jumping in a rainforest to a souvenir shop selling polished shells. An "ecotourism" operator might not necessarily be doing anything good for the environment. It's up to you to see what they're doing and decide for yourself.

Greenglobe is a legitimate ecotourism benchmarking system for the tourism industry. While Greenglobe does require businesses to meet particular standards of environmental care, it is very expensive to register. Large multinational tourist operators may be in a much better financial position to join and market themselves under the Greenglobe slogan than smaller tourism ventures, which might actually be much more sustainable and bring more real benefits to the local community. If you are visiting large-scale tourist operations, however, it doesn't hurt to ask if they are a Greenglobe member.

Consular Information Sheets and Travel Warnings also are available on the Consular Affairs Internet home page: http://travel.state.gov. Consular Affairs Tips for Travelers publication series, which contain information on obtaining passports and planning a safe trip abroad, are on the Internet and hard copies can be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, telephone: 202-512-1800; fax 202-512-2250.

Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for regions and countries.

U.S. citizens who are long-term visitors or traveling in dangerous areas are encouraged to register their travel via the State Department’s travel registration web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov or at the Consular section of the U.S. embassy upon arrival in a country by filling out a short form and sending in a copy of their passports. This may help family members contact you in case of an emergency.