Prime Ethical and Governing Issues in Vanuatu’s Cruise Tourism

Discuss about the Hospitality and Tourism for Economic Diversification.

In the Vanuatu’s Broken Dream Video, the prime ethical and governing issues that are presented are that of the fact that the PO cruise ships are visiting the Island of Vanuatu and it is supposed to bring prosperity to the islanders but there is no development in the place at all (Cheer 2017). The islanders are getting very little or no benefit from the cruise ships. No one knows where the money is ultimately going and who is taking it and for what purpose. No one has any idea regarding the matter. They need development in the place but there is no money to do so. There is a corruption in the place (Walton et al. 2014). Although, it is a known fact that there is a huge income from the cruise ships the islanders say that they are not seeing any of the money and they constantly asks why the facilities that have been built especially for the tourists remain off-limits to them. With the same, it is also to note that the politicians of the country often live in luxury but so many of the remaining people lives in poverty. For the people of Vanuatu, the cruise tourism promises huge opportunities for the development and economic diversification along with closer relations to the mainstream economy of the island (Meharg et al. 2015). However, despite many years of cruise ship visit in the place, the development and enhancement of the long term legacies as well as the evidence of the advances and improvements in the living standards still remain unconvincing. The rhetoric from the tourism sector and the policy makers promotes this notion that the cruise tourism is basically high yielding and low impacting at the ports of call in the Pacific Island countries. The controversies over the deficiencies of the cruise sector are been magnified in contexts of the small island development that has given greater reliance on the tourism as because of notably less amount of diversifies economies (Petterson and Tawake 2016). Although the fight back against the corruption has started and is gaining momentum but it is really doubtful whether the locals could really turn the economy back around in their own favour. Some of the islanders have also doubted that someone is stealing the money that are been gained from the cruise sector, which are allocated for the indigenous development but they do not have any trace of it. With the same, it is also to mention in this context that there are corruption and superstitions prevailing in the island and this is making it really hard for the island to develop and improve further. The sad truth is that woes of Wala are a microcosm of the country. While Vanuatu clings tenaciously to its cultural integrity, there is very little integrity in the public or social life. The politicians of the country have even stooped to the black magic to bring down the opponents. Meanwhile, ineptitude, cronyism and out-and-out corruption runs so deep that even recently elected Prime Minister Moana Carcasses admits it’s endemic (Addinsall 2017). The overseas investors are using the culture of the Vanuatu to their own advantages as because they are building resorts and hotels but the money is not staying in Vanuatu or even benefiting it in any way. Furthermore, the increase in tourism in the country is directly result in increasing the total number of tourists in the country and this means more land is required (Briguglio 2017). This in turn is becoming a threat for the islanders of Vanuatu as the local islanders are being brought out of their houses for using their land for tourism purposes.

Controversies and Deficiencies of Cruise Sector in Vanuatu

Corporate social responsibility is considered to be an important factor for any business organization that symbolizes the responsibility of the organization in maintains social equality and cohesion (Wang et al. 2016). Moreover, the Corporate Social Responsibility is also considered to be associated with the social and community development. In this regards, the P&O Cruise fails to imply any kind of social responsibility measures while doing business in the Republic of Vanuatu (Reverte, Gomez-Melero and Cegarra-Navarro 2016). The island of Vanuatu is full with aboriginal people who are poor and wretched. Besides agriculture the other source of income is only relied to the tourism. It is in fact, can be seen that in every year Vanuatu witnesses hundred and thousands of tourism all over the world. Therefore, it is obvious to presume that the local communities yield more profit from the tourism sectors. However, in actual case, lack of infrastructure and the dearth of initiatives taken by the private companies create problem in the tourism industry of Vanuatu. In case of the P&O Cruise Company, the organization does not share any intension to invest for the betterment of the local inhabitants of Vanuatu (Van Dijk 2017). In fact, it can be stated that the amount of money that the company has to pay to the government are not used for the benefits of the local communities. All the money is going to use for the tourist and tourism facilities such as toilets but there is no intention of the P&O Company to take care of the social health care of the local people. As a result of that it can be stated that the company violates its ethical responsibilities while doing business in Vanuatu.

I think the government, the cruise company P&O and the constitution, all are responsible for rectifying issues that have been identified in this video. The constitution need to have set a proper and fundamental principles or should have established the precedents as according to the issues so that to make sure that the profit that are been gained from the tourism sector of the country are been safeguard for the development and improvement program of the island and local communities. With the same, the P&O is also responsible in this matter as because of the fact that it too is gaining a huge amount of profit from the business (Panayides, Lambertides and Andreou 2017). Hence, in order to ensure sustainability for itself and to continue gaining support from the local communities, it needs to contribute in the development of the place to a great extent. The local government is the primary stakeholder in this whole process. Hence, it too plays a very significant role. It has been assumed that politicians of the country often live in luxury but so many of the remaining people lives in poverty. Hence, it is very important that the local government take necessary steps to mitigate this issue. It is also to note that if the local community shows no development in any way, then it is harmful for the betterment of the very nation to which the community belong. Just for the sake of temporary profit gaining and better living standards, the politicians are playing with the betterment of the future of the nation and this in turn would harm the government itself later. The corruption is innate in the Vanuatu Pacific Island (Spyksma 2017). The system of the island has become corrupt and is also destroying the moral fibre of the society. Although it is known who is taking all the money and is using for exactly what purpose but is sure that the local communities are not at all benefitting the from the huge amount of profit that are been gained from the tourism sector of the country. Hence, to change the condition of the island and to bring in improvement and development there, the political system or the governmental system needs to be changed at first as because it is the government system of the society that nurtures it. It is very important to consider this matter by the government officials as because of the fact that the tourism industry has a great impact on the economy of the Vanuatu. It is because the economy of the country depends greatly on the tourism as its major source of income. The expenditure of the tourists is very important while measuring the impact of the tourism on the economy of this country. Hence, if there is no improvement and development in this place, the tourism here would be diminishing in the coming years.

There are a number of measures that the Vanuatu government as well as the tourists should take to resolve the issue regarding the poverty and unsatisfactory health care facilities for the local inhabitants. In this regards, the important measures are as follows,

1. The Vanuatu government must have proper rules and regulations for the tourist and the associated companies that are investing in the Vanuatu tourism. Imposing taxes on the tourists and the related companies can be identified as an effective measure for the Vanuatu government.
2. Moreover, it can be argued that corruption is a detrimental factor that obstructs further development for the Vanuatu people. In this context, a corruption free government is needed to make the society better and progressive.
3. Building public health facility is considered to be another important task that the Vanuatu government should take into consideration (Jenkin et al. 2016). Moreover, water crisis heightens the condition of the Vanuatu people. The government should fix it.
4. Furthermore, from the perspective of the tourists it is a moral responsibility of them to express interests about the development of the local people.
5. It can be asserted that the Vanuatu government did not publish the financial report from 2004 to 2012. It proves the lack of transparency among the local communities about the Vanuatu government. To resolve the issue it is very important for the Vanuatu government to achieve trusts of them.
6. Suggest at least three recommendations to overcome such issues in the future. 

– The recommendation to overcome such issues in the future are as follows:

1. Identifying as well as implementing the strategies which helps in facilitating the investment of the revenues of the tourism into the community projects would go to a long way. It may be inclusive of assisting the micro enterprise development particularly in the agriculture and fisheries. With the same, investments on improving the health and education services on the island should also be made one of the important aim for the government as well as the local public.
2. Enhancing the capacity for more number of participations in the tourism sector and the broader local economy through outlying the communities of Port Patrick and Omej. It may include the improvement and development of much broader tourism offering for expanding overnight visitation to the island.
3. With the same, mechanisms for mitigating the negative or destructive cultural and social impacts of the tourism should be integrated into the entire plan. It further may include directing the revenues to the cultural and social maintenance programs in the community that are in conjunction with the health and education stakeholders. While the tourism sector has brought in increased amount of prosperity in the island and the country, it has also resulted in the declining of the health of the islanders, along with diabetes on the rise.
4. With the same, the impasse over the ownership rights for conducting tourism at the island should also be resolved quickly. This is because of the fact that it is working as a barrier to greater community transparency and cohesion.

References:

Addinsall, C., 2017. Agroecology and sustainable rural livelihoods: interdisciplinary research and development in the South Pacific.

Briguglio, L., 2017. Sustainable tourism on small island jurisdictions with special reference to Malta. ARA: Revista de Investigación en Turismo, 1(1).

Cheer, J.M., 2017. 26 Cruise Tourism in Small Island–High Yield and Low Impact?. Cruise Ship Tourism, p.408.

Jenkin, E., Wilson, E., Clarke, M., Campain, R., Murfitt, K. and Anderson, J., 2016. Spreading the word: using film to share research findings and knowledge about children with disabilities in Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. Knowledge Management for Development Journal, pp.69-84.

Meharg, S., Kirono, D.G.C., Butler, J.R.A., McEachern, S. and Hajkowicz, S., 2015. Australia-Indonesia Centre Megatrends: Infrastructure. Report Prepared for the Australia-Indonesia Centre, Monash University.

Panayides, P.M., Lambertides, N. and Andreou, C., 2017. Reforming public port authorities through multiple concession agreements: The case of Cyprus. Research in Transportation Business & Management, 22, pp.58-66.

Petterson, M.G. and Tawake, A.K., 2016. Toward inclusive development of the Pacific region using geoscience. Geological Society of America Special Papers, 520, pp.459-478.

Reverte, C., Gómez-Melero, E. and Cegarra-Navarro, J.G., 2016. The influence of corporate social responsibility practices on organizational performance: evidence from Eco-Responsible Spanish firms. Journal of cleaner production, 112, pp.2870-2884.

Spyksma, H., 2017. Unintentional journalists: The role of advocacy group 350 in filling a news gap for reporting from the Pacific region. Journalism Studies, pp.1-21.

Van Dijk, K., 2017. Pacific Strife: The Great Powers and their Political and Economic Rivalries in Asia and the Western Pacific, 1870-1914. Amsterdam University Press.

Walton, S., Ford, R., Gabriel, C.A. and Doering, A., 2014. Energy Transitions: Lighting in Vanuatu.

Wang, H., Tong, L., Takeuchi, R. and George, G., 2016. Corporate social responsibility: An overview and new research directions thematic issue on corporate social responsibility. Academy of Management Journal, 59(2), pp.534-544.