Land alienation, land tenure, and tourism in Vanuatu, a Melanesian Island nation

Abstract

Land is a primary resource for international tourism development. The relation of indigenous systems of land tenure and the history of land alienation to tourism in Pacific Island nations, however, is problematic. Governments of some Pacific Island nations are now emphasizing the traditional land rights of indigenous people in determining land use for economic development. Land is a key resource for the local participation of Islanders in development, and indigenous land claims are a volatile political issue. There has been little substantive research on tourism and land tenure in Melanesia. This paper examines the history of the problem of land alienation, the nature of traditional land tenure, and the relation of current land claims to tourist development in Vanuatu. Land alienations are tied to modern tourist developments, and issues of land tenure are a central aspects of political debate in local cultures. Suggestions are offered for regional planning for tourism, and local control of tourist development and land use.