Kicking goals or offside : is tourism development in the Pacific helping progress towards the MDGs?

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Abstract

The allure of the Pacific islands to tourists is longstanding and the appeal of tourism-led development to governments in the region is the impetus it provides to counter the shortage of possible development alternatives. In the past decade, international visitor arrivals and tourism receipts have continued on an upward trajectory with ever-increasing private and public sector resources dedicated to tourism development initiatives. The extent to which tourism is assisting with the pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals and allowing Pacific islanders to profit from tourism remains unclear. In particular, opportunities for the urban poor and rural and outer-island communities to partake in the tourist economy are limited. While tourism is lauded as presenting Pacific island countries with an ideal means of poverty alleviation, the empirical evidence to support its pro-poor credentials is wanting. This article recommends tourism sector policy and planning integrate poverty alleviation more deeply and donors reconsider tourism’s role as a key conduit for poverty alleviation in the Pacific.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)151-161
Number of pages11
JournalPacific Economic Bulletin
Volume25
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 2010

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