A Guide to Ethical Travel in the Pacific Islands

The Pacific Islands are situated in the expansive region known as Oceania, a vast area that includes more than 30,000 islands dispersed throughout three subregions: Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. Polynesia, the largest and western-most area, includes Hawaii, Easter Island, New Zealand, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, and the Cook Islands. Micronesia, to the west, encompasses Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands. And Melanesia, located just south of Micronesia (and northeast of Australia) includes Fiji, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea.

It's important for visitors to learn about the islands’ complex histories—spanning more than 3,500 years from migration to colonization—and to acknowledge the rippling impacts that European colonization (and later Asian immigration) had and still has on the islands today.

“One way to learn about the community is by investing in awareness of the issues and milestones that island communities have gone through,” says Taylor Pangilinan, the destination and development coordinator at the Guam Visitors Bureau. These issues range from impacts on the islands’ political status (some are independent countries, while others have sometimes complex relationships with former colonial powers) to how colonization has shaped the area’s religious landscape.

• Visit museums and historical sites. In Honolulu, Iolani Palace holds stories of the last Hawaiian monarch, Queen Liliuokalani, and other members of the Hawaiian royal family. The Belau National Museum on Koror Island, in Palau, is the oldest museum in Micronesia and has an extensive exhibit of Palauan history that includes more than 4,500 objects.
• Read books by local authors and buy books from Indigenous bookstores and local university presses. Some good examples include Leaves of the Banyan Tree by Samoan author Albert Wendt and Island of Shattered Dreams by Tahitian author Chantal T. Spitz. Similarly, the University of Guam Press’s award winning Lina’la’: Portraits of Life at Litekyan, provides an in-depth look at the ancient village of Litekyan, home to Guam’s first people.
• Visit smaller, less-popular islands where you can find a deeper connection to local culture. French Polynesia, for instance, has over 100 islands to explore beyond the popular destinations of Bora Bora and Tahiti. Some good options include the rarely visited Rimatara, which is home to the gorgeous and endangered Rimatara lorikeet, and the island of Taha’a, known for its fragrant Tahitian vanilla beans, black pearls, and rum.
• Book Indigenous-led tours and excursions. Choosing a local guide supports the regenerative tourism industry while also giving you more opportunities for hands-on experiences. Indigenous-led tours can include a variety of different activities, from visiting traditional craftsmen to cooking local foods to learning about the medicinal uses of native plants.

Related: 14 Books by Indigenous Authors to Read Right Now

In many Pacific Island countries, modesty is a form of respect. Each island has its own cultural protocols, and it’s important to review these before visiting. Some countries and islands are more focused on cultural mores than others. While Fiji is a modern nation, for instance, its people still place a great deal of importance on traditional cultural and religious values—and since the country is made up of over 330 islands, the community has a rich tapestry of beliefs and traditions.

“When visiting a Fijian village, it is crucial to adhere to specific cultural protocols,” says Sonal Sharma, a corporate and government communications manager at Tourism Fiji. “Prior to entering a village, the tour group accompanying you will conduct the sevusevu ceremony, where they present kava as a formal request to access the village's natural resources. This ceremony is essential for seeking and obtaining permission.”

Sometimes, practices that are common in one place might cause offense in another. For instance, in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Cook Islands, kissing on the cheek is a common form of greeting, but in Tonga a person’s face is considered sacred and should not be touched. Before you interact with a community, read up on local practices.

• In Fiji, it's important to cover your shoulders and legs. A sulu (long sarong) can be used over your legs when you are within a village’s boundaries. Also, it's important not to wear anything over your head, as this is a sacred right reserved for the chief.
• In Hawaii, you should only refer to the Indigenous culture and people of Hawaii as “Hawaiian;” other residents are “locals.”
• In all countries, ask permission before taking photos or entering lagoons, caves, or other lands, as they may be sacred.
• The island lifestyle may be a bit unhurried. Practice patience, especially when driving.
• In almost all the countries in the region, you should remove your shoes when entering a house.

For centuries, Pacific Islanders have passed down cultural wisdom through music, poetry, chanting, weaving, architecture, and dance. Even today, these storytelling practices are more than forms of entertainment; they continue to be important ways that communities pass on their cultural values.

“Poetry is what Native Hawaiians used as a means of communication and memorization,” says Ku’uipo Kumukahi, the Director of Hawaiian Culture and Communications at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki and founder of the Hawaiian Music Perpetuation Society. “A lot of what you want to know about Hawaii rests in poetry. Even our royal family were poets, and they wrote music.” Here’s how else you can support the region’s culture ethically:

• Listen to local music. Whether you attend a concert or support local talent at a smaller venue, listening to the area’s Indigenous songs is one way to learn the islands’ stories.
• Enjoy dance performances. Dance is an important component of many of the region’s cultures. At Whakarewarewa Village in New Zealand, for instance, you can witness the traditional Māori haka, a ceremonial war dance—distinguished by rhythmic body slapping, foot stomping, and the protrusion of the tongue—that recounts the events in a tribe’s history.
• Stay with locals. Some island communities offer tribal tours (during which visitors can stay with an Indigenous tribe), homestays, and cultural exchange programs. In Papua New Guinea, for instance, you can have in-depth cultural experiences through programs that allow you to partake in traditional experiences like canoe building or fishing—or even witness traditional face and body tattooing sessions.

Respecting the land, sea, and sky is universal for all Pacific Islander communities, and the interconnected relationship between nature and humans is seen as sacred. Many countries have developed pledges for visitors to take, to highlight these issues and remind everyone to keep the region clean and free from pollution.

In New Zealand, for instance, visitors are asked to make the Tiaki Promise, a commitment to protect nature, keep the country clean, be prepared, drive carefully, and show respect. The Māori word tiaki means, essentially, “to care, conserve, and protect,” and making this promise invites visitors to look at the world through the Indigenous lens and see how nature is intrinsically intertwined with their lives.

Similarly, Palau has developed the Palau Pledge, a statement that visitors are “to act in an ecologically and culturally responsible way” while visiting. The country has even made this pledge mandatory; it is the first nation to require travelers entering the country to sign a copy of the pledge (added to their passports) promising that they will be ecologically and culturally responsible while on the island. While in the Pacific Islands, you can honor the promise by doing the following:

• Whether on a hiking trail or snorkeling at sea, you should never remove any ancient artifacts or disturb wildlife.
• Choose sustainable and regenerative solutions. Seek out tours that minimize environmental impacts and contribute to the local community.
• Don’t litter; make sure to pick up everything you have brought with you after every excursion.

When visiting the islands, you may be greeted with a warm and friendly “hello” in the Indigenous language of the region. While Americans are generally most familiar with the Hawaiian term "Aloha," this style of greeting exists across the islands. In Fiji, people will greet you with “Bula;” in New Zealand, the phrase is “Kia ora;” and in the Mariana Islands, it’s “Håfa Adai.”

It’s important to reciprocate the warmth of these greetings by finding opportunities to support the local economy. Supporting Indigenous-owned businesses, local eateries, and local artists and musicians are all good ways to promote regenerative tourism. Here’s how:

• Invest your money in supporting local farm-to-table restaurants, mom-and-pop shops, Indigenous artists, and local musicians.
• Attend cultural festivals. Every community has a wide variety of festivals that visitors can attend over the course of the year. Moreover, every four years, the entire area gathers for the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (FESTPAC), the world’s largest celebration of Indigenous Pacific Islanders.
• Support local agriculture by visiting farmers markets and booking farm tours.
• If you are planning to do a tribal homestay or a cultural exchange program, bring a gift for your host. In most places, a unique gift from your home country is a good option. And if you’re visiting smaller or more remote islands, school items for children such as pencils and reading books are generally welcome. (Candy and sweets are not recommended.)

There are many layers to traveling ethically to the Pacific Islands, but the most important is embracing the islands’ values of respect and reciprocity. The area’s Indigenous communities offer visitors a warm welcome, inviting everyone to enjoy the region’s beauty and majesty, and we should all return this spirit of warmth by being thoughtful, mindful, and intentional in how we interact with our hosts.