ABSTRACT
This chapter demonstrates that the challenges faced by organisations operating within extreme tourism destinations with respect to: labour market features; sourcing and recruitment of staff to work in the sector; employee retention; training and development; and career progression. It focuses on the management and development of people within the context of extreme small island tourism against these five key areas of human resource practice and activity. A discussion of the human resource characteristics of extreme small island destinations must be underpinned by recognition of the typically weak labour market features that operate within tourism generally. Extreme island locations have small and constrained labour pools upon which to draw when developing tourism as an area of economic activity. The immaturity of the sector and seasonality of its operation means that tourism may not always offer attractive opportunities to island residents.
