Abstract
Tourism is a key contributor to the economy of the Pacific Island country Vanuatu. Yet many Ni-Vanuatu have seen their access to natural resources lost or reduced as a consequence of foreign investment in the tourism industry and associated land leases, while few community members found secure employment in the tourism sector to compensate for those losses. The tension between externally driven tourism development and local resource access has been exacerbated in the aftermath of 2015 Tropical Cyclone Pam which caused extensive damage both to the tourism industry and local communities. Employing a tourism-disaster-conflict nexus lens and drawing on semi-structured interviews with hotel managers, research conversations with hotel staff and community members, and focus group discussions with community leaders, this study examines how the tourism sector has impacted post-disaster response and recovery, particularly in terms of land relations and rural livelihoods. Findings suggest that tourism can be a double-edged sword for disaster-prone communities. While resorts play an important role as first responders, their contributions to post-disaster recovery processes remain ambiguous and marred by tensions between expatriate investors and indigenous Ni-Vanuatu people. These findings also hold lessons for the tourism crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic in the South Pacific and elsewhere.
Highlights
Tourism crises have often been precipitated by major disaster events
Small island developing states in the South Pacific have been susceptible to tropical cyclones, floods and tsunamis that have had a deep impact on the tourism industry on which these countries’ economies depend strongly (e.g., Klint et al, 2012; Loehr, 2020)
The objective of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the role of the tourism industry in post-disaster response and recovery processes, drawing on the example of the 2015 Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu
Summary
Tourism crises have often been precipitated by major disaster events. Small island developing states in the South Pacific have been susceptible to tropical cyclones, floods and tsunamis that have had a deep impact on the tourism industry on which these countries’ economies depend strongly (e.g., Klint et al, 2012; Loehr, 2020). The objective of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the role of the tourism industry in post-disaster response and recovery processes, drawing on the example of the 2015 Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu. The aim is to determine whether the tourism sector can be a positive force in helping local communities to restore their livelihoods. To this end, it is important to understand 1) how tourism businesses have been affected by Cyclone Pam, 2) how they have responded to and recovered from the disaster, and 3) how their response and recovery strategies have had an impact on their staff and local communities. Particular emphasis is placed on land relations and the rehabilitation of rural livelihoods
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