Apisalome MOVONO, Massey University, New Zealand
Regina SCHEYVENS, Massey University, New Zealand
The pandemic has had harsh impacts on tourism-dependent island states in the Pacific, especially those countries relying on tourism revenue for between 20 and 80 percent of their GDP. Border closures and travel bans for much of 2020 and 2021 left these states feeling isolated, and facing significant economic challenges. While many people have commented on the vulnerability of island states that typically rely heavily on tourism revenues, it is also valuable to examine how they have responded positively to the pandemic, showing strengths in the face of the downturn of the tourism industry. Our research, including surveys and interviews from May 2020 through to the present, has revealed a consistent pattern of resilience in the face of COVID-19. Despite financial and other forms of stress, most respondents report that they are doing ok, largely thanks to reliance on their families and wider communities, their culture and value system, and their connections to the land and sea. This presentation thus offers an alternative narrative about the livelihoods of Pacific peoples in the face of a devastating pandemic and economic downturn. In response to COVID-19, Pacific peoples have come up with alternative ways of doing business, have sought ways of supporting one another in their communities, and some have reassessed whether they want tourism to play such a dominant role in their societies. We conclude by reflecting on respondents' aspirations for tourism and development in their islands in future.
Mots clés : Resilience|adaptation|tourism|island|Pacific
A104117RS