Sustainable tourism development on Niue: A catch 22?

Abstract

ln this chapter we will critically examine Niue's chances for sustainable development and the contributions tourism may or may not be able to make toward that path. lt is argued that Niue's tourism industry may be regarded as socio-culturally and environmentally sustainable ( on the basis of excluding the issue of access), but in economic terms it will never be sustainable. In doing so, we will explore sustainability issues beyond the specific destination context. Similar to many other island destinations, Niue is confronted with the consequences of climate change, sea level rise and extreme weather events as well as coral bleaching (Hall 2010). Thus, the question needs 10 be raised, for instance, as to 'why this push for tourism growth is not more controversially discussed..., notably in a situation where small islands usually present themselves as victims of global warming' (Gossling 2009, p. 59). However, before we discuss issues surrounding sustainable tourism on Niue in greater detail, we first provide the context to this study with an introduction of the case study area.