ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the tourism economy in Pacific Island countries (PICs) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. By using the MIRAB-SITE model, three PICs – Fiji, Samoa and the Solomon Islands – are selected based on varying levels of tourism revenue. Fiji is selected to represent the ‘small island tourism economies’ (SITE), as its tourism revenue would normally exceed 30% (pre-pandemic). In contrast, the Solomon Islands, with a tourism revenue of normally less than 10%, relates to the ‘migration, remittances, aid and bureaucracy’ (MIRAB) category. Samoa is selected as a moderate representation, as it does not fully represent a SITE nor a MIRAB state. The chapter, thus, evaluates crisis-related tourism recovery strategies and provides suggestions to sustain the tourism industry in the long-term. Tourism businesses and community livelihoods in the PICs have been significantly affected, financially and socially, during the pandemic. During this crisis, foreign aid promptly poured into the PICs’ economies, a temporary solution to keep economies afloat, including the tourism industry. Nonetheless, the pandemic uncovered the need for long-term sustainability in tourism development and to advocate for responsible tourism consumption.
