This publication presents an overview of the status of tourism in SIDS and shows the key importance of sustainable development. It presents many tourism performances and impacts and the factors affecting tourism in SIDS. It provides policy orientations, guidelines and other tools on how to develop and manage tourism in a sustainable manner.
'This report explores the key issues concerning how tourism might facilitate inclusive growth. It provides detailed analysis of both the direct and indirect channels through which the gains from tourism are achieved, and the existing gaps that prevent a fuller capturing of forward and backward multipliers."--Publisher's website
The 2012 UNEP Foresight Process on Emerging Global Environmental Issues primarily identified emerging environmental issues and possible solutions on a global scale and perspective. In 2013, UNEP carried out a similar exercise to identify priority emerging environmental issues that are of concern to the Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The social and economic emerging issues were also identified using the same set of criteria. At the core of the process was a SIDS Foresight Panel consisting of 11 SIDS experts (for the UNEP Panel) and 12 experts (for the UN DESA Panel) from the three SIDS regions, representing the global SIDS community and a wide range of disciplines. The process was designed to open the discussion on emerging environmental issues to a broad range of views both from the Foresight Panel and a wider community of relevant experts from across the globe. Through the Foresight Process, separate lists of 20 environmental and 15 socioeconomic emerging issues were identified and discussed in this report.
This book argues for a broader approach to sustainable growth in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Small island states such as those in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and South Pacific face significant and growing threats from climate change, increasing political and social volatility, and rapidly evolving global trends in technology and tourism. Based on ten years of research, this book looks beyond the Blue Economy of tourism and fisheries and provides a model of how creative industries, innovation networks, creative clusters and digital transformation can give SIDS the foundation for a strong sustainable future. The book provides not only insights into how these emerging digital-creative sectors can drive developing economies but also actionable tools for policy makers, entrepreneurs and academics to deliver increased performance on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and, ultimately, growth and sustainability. This book will be of great interest to scholars and practitioners of economic geography, sustainable development, development studies and the creative industries.
The Maldives has propelled itself to middle-income status despite its geographic constraints and the risks it faces as a small island economy. The economy has been growing in the last 5 years, but development challenges remain formidable. How can the Maldives sustain and improve the pace of its economic growth and reduce poverty and inequality? This report identifies the critical constraints to inclusive growth and discusses policy options to overcome such constraints.
Many of the world's islands are dependent on tourism as their main source of income. It is therefore imperative that these destinations are managed for long-term viability. The natural appeal of a destination is typically one of its main tourism related assets, yet the natural environment is also the feature most directly threatened by potential overexploitation. Sustainable Tourism in Island Destinations builds on existing literature in the subject by providing innovative discussions and practical management structures through the use of the authors' various island project work. An original feature is the focus on islands which are part of larger nations, rather than just on island sovereign states. Through an illustrated case study approach, the book focuses on the successes and challenges islands face in achieving sustainable tourism. The authors put forward innovative mechanisms such as multi-stakeholder partnerships and incentive-driven non-regulatory approaches as ways that the sustainability agenda can move forward in destinations that face specific challenges due to their geography and historic development. The case studies - from Canada, St Kitts, Honduras, China, Indonesia, Spain, Tanzania and Thailand - provide the foundation which suggests that alternative approaches to tourism development are possible if they retain sustainability as a priority.
About one fifth of all politically independent countries are small island developing states. For these countries, sustainable development is not a matter of choice, it is imperative. This book seeks to initiate a debate on how to support a new wave of action for sustainable development.
Over the past decade, there have been an increasing number of publications that have analysed and critiqued the potential of tourism to be a mechanism for poverty reduction in less economically developed countries (LEDCs). This book showcases work by established and emerging researchers that provides new thinking and tests previously made assumptions, providing an essential guide for students, practitioners and academics. This book advances our understanding of the changes and ways forward in the field of sustainable tourism development. Five main themes are illustrated throughout the book: (1) measuring impacts of tourism on poverty; (2) the need to evaluate whether interventions that aim to reduce poverty are effective; (3) how unbalanced power relations and weak governance can undermine efforts; (4) the importance of the private sector’s use of pro-poor business practices; and (5) the value of using multidisciplinary and multi-method research approaches. Furthermore, the book shows that academic research findings can be used practically in destinations, and how practitioners can benefit from sharing their experiences with academic scholars. This book was based on a special issue and various articles from the Journal of Sustainable Tourism.
