tourism
striving for a more sustainable form of tourism
Sustainable tourism not displacement
Foreign investors, particularly those representing real estate investors and developers have been increasing their presence in Melanesia over the past 20 years. The development of holiday apartments and resorts has led to some people being removed from their land, and cut off access to beaches and traditional fishing areas. The arrival of large number of tourists also jeopardises local cultures.
If tourism remains a part of our economies, the industry must respect and honor the peoples of Melanesia and ensure we maintain access to our customary lands to support our kastom economies.
“MILDA rejects corporate pushes for development that displaces people, creates dependency and blinds Melanesian people to the wants of capitalism. It sees capitalism as disrespecting indigenous existence and pushing more people into undignified standards of living,”
— “Land is Worth More than Money” (19 Sept, 2017 Daily Post)
Vanuatu Puts Indigenous Rights First in Land Reform
(6 November, 2021 Inter Press Service News Agency)
“We thought the tourism business or selling our land would give us work and employ a lot of our people, but now we realise we made a mistake." -- Mangaliliu’s Chief Mormor
Well-Being in Vanuatu
Oct 8, 2012
A documentary highlighting some of the key findings from the pilot study on ni-Vanuatu well-being conducted between 2010-2012 by the Malvatumauri National Council of Chiefs and the Vanuatu National Statistics Office. The study is part of the 'Alternative Indicators of Well-Being for Melanesia' project, endorsed by the Melanesian Spearhead Group and set to roll out to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Fiji in 2013.
