Ecotourism an option in small island destinations?

Abstract

This article, using a postcolonial and political economy framework, examines how tourism development seems an appealing solution for small islands, especially in the form of community-based (sustainable) ecotourism. The article follows with how residents of small island destinations in the Pacific engage with the global tourism market to diversify their economy and increase income as a counterweight to emigration. The article then discusses how this experience might be modeled in Wallis and Futuna, a French territory of the South Pacific. Although small islands of the Pacific possess a variety of assets, not the least of which today is their remoteness and their different culture, they face a number of challenges to maintain their appeal on the global market. Authorities in Wallis and Futuna seem to have forsaken some of their assets and political will even though a few residents seek to obtain the means to remain in the territory through returns from small tourism enterprises.