Tuvalu

Abstract

This chapter examines the tourism industry in Tuvalu, an island that has had little academic attention in tourism studies. Tuvalu is one of the least visited nations in the world, facing many problems confronted by other small island states. Remoteness, inadequate infrastructure, lack of an appealing selling proposition, an image problem and the growing dangers posed by climate change are key challenges faced by the country as it seeks to develop a tourism industry. The chapter also introduces the idea of ‘undertourism’, a problem that is the antithesis of ‘overtourism’ problems faced by many well-known European tourism destinations. While acknowledging these problems, there are opportunities for the country to participate in the global tourism industry. This chapter examines a range of niche tourism opportunities, notably ‘off the beaten track’ tourism, eco-tourism, bucket list tourism, last chance tourism and climate change tourism. Evidence about image problems faced by Tuvalu from climate change and isolation are drawn from a media scan of 23 stories focusing on aspects of travel to Tuvalu. The chapter demonstrates how the application of tourism theory, in this case ‘push-pull’, ‘comparative and competitive advantage’ and ‘periphery’ can be used in identifying opportunities for tourism development in small island states.