04/09/2026
The Local Climate Change Adaptation for Development LCCAD executive director Nong C. Rangasa explained that Integrating creative industries development, sustainable tourism, climate change and nature-based solutions generates transformative and regenerative economic benefits and engine. It creates localized green jobs, stimulates wealth by retaining tourism spending within communities, and drives long-term savings by protecting natural assets against climate change, all while elevating a destination's global competitive advantage. This tri-pillar approach drives wealth distribution, builds climate resilience, preserves biodiversity, healthy ecosystem, and revitalizes creative and local cultural heritage.
LCCAD Executive Director Nong Clidoro Rangasa said that the following specific strategies are therefore in order:
1.Sustainable Tourism Investment: Channels green financing into destination development. This includes funding for circular infrastructure, eco-lodges, and capacity-building for local creative entrepreneurs. Rather than prioritizing mass arrivals, this pillar focuses on directing financial resources toward “building green legacies”. It encourages private and public investment in circular business models, eco-cultural tourism, and green infrastructure that benefit local populations and prevent economic leakages Tourism Investment, channels capital into low-carbon infrastructure, circular waste solutions, and micro-enterprises. It ensures long-term economic viability by preventing resource depletion and keeping profits localized rather than leaking to multinational conglomerates.
2 Creative Industries Development: Leverages local culture, traditional arts, craft-making, and indigenous knowledge. It transitions tourism away from mass consumption toward immersive, co-created experiences where visitors actively participate in local culture and the arts. By harnessing local artistry, indigenous crafts, gastronomy, and cultural traditions, communities can differentiate their offerings in the market. Summits focusing on this area (like the Creative Industries and Tourism Investment Summit /Conferences) empower local artisans, performers, gastronomical experts, and tech entrepreneurs boost micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and turn destinations into globally recognized cultural hubs. It diversifies the visitor experience beyond standard sightseeing, monetizes intangible cultural heritage, and builds a vibrant, export-ready local economy.
3 .Nature-based Solutions (NbS): Utilizes healthy ecosystems (like mangroves, bamboos, coral reefs, forests and river basin) to address environmental and societal challenges. In tourism, NbS protects biodiversity and provides natural resilience against climate change. These are actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore ecosystems—such as coral reefs, mangroves, bamboos, forests and river basin. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, NbS simultaneously address societal challenges like disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation while supporting biodiversity and human well-being.
The Integrated Conceptual Model
This dynamic framework relies on three overlapping phases to ensure the destination thrives:
1 Regenerative Investment: Financial resources are invested to restore local ecosystems (via NbS) while funding the localized creative economy. Investments must meet baseline thresholds for biodiversity net gain and community empowerment.
2 .Co-Creation of Value: Local creative industries use the restored natural environment as an anchor to design authentic, educational, and sustainable tourism products. For instance, a community might design a creative tourism program where visitors participate in coastal mangrove restoration while learning traditional local weaving.
3 Destination Resilience: The synthesis of the first two phases results in a destination that can adapt to economic and climate shocks. By protecting the environment, the local community secures its natural resource base while generating higher-value, year-round income.
Rangasa added that the UNCTAD Guiding Principles for Sustainable Investment in Tourism
To ensure long-term viability without depleting resources, destinations and private operators can align their practices with strategic frameworks like the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Guiding Principles for Sustainable Investment in Tourism.
Alignment with the above framework is ensured because these guidelines focus on:
Preserving Heritage: Protecting natural ecosystems and cultural assets.
Empowering Communities: Ensuring local populations actively participate in and benefit from tourism.
Climate Action: Advancing green economies and reducing emissions.
Standardization: Using frameworks like the GSTC Criteria for hotels, tour operators, and destinations to measure impact.
