Political and Ethical Issues in Vanuatu’s Tourism Sector

This report aims to discuss the issue tourism emerged in some of the most important areas of Australia, the Republic of Vanuatu. This particular analysis is actually based on the documentary called ‘Vanuatu’s Broken Dreams’ by the journalist Peter George. This report has pointed out the competences of Vanuatu as budding tourism destination located in the aboriginal parts of Australia. This report of Peter has focussed on sufferings and depravity of people mainly living in the Walla and Pentecost islands of this country (Pratt and Harrison 2015). This report will discuss the political as well as ethical issues that affect the complete growth of Vanuatu’s tourism sector, the unethical problems of P&O cruise line services. It will analyse the duties of the movement and the authorities of this place.  This report will be concluding with some important recommendations and based on this, the tourism services of the destination may be enhanced for which Vanuatu can flourish.

“Vanuatu’s Broken Dreams”, the documentary by Peter George, has effectively revealed some true as well as sordid realities about unethical acts of the Vanuatu government along with their policies. In Vanuatu, there are some buried truths as well as insurgence of the local problems. This particular documentary has focused on the problems faced by these localists of Vanuatu every day. As these names suggest, their dreams for leading standard lives through balancing wealth with poverty and business and tourism are not fulfilled. In the documentary, Peter George has shown the dissuasions with one of the local leaders in the island of Wala. According to him, the rudimentary facilities that are related to food, sanitation and shelter are the rights of the islanders of Vanuatu are not provided. These inhabitants of these islands are the most deserving people who need to get large portions of the tourism profits out of local handicrafts, trinkets, souvenirs along with the most popular Kava drink. However, they are completely deprived of these shares. As the administrative settings of these islands, the Australian as well as Vanuatu governments need to work together (DeBlock 2018). They are to aid the Vanuatu tourism sector but they have built only some comfortable buildings for these tourists who are coming to visit these islands by not providing the villagers their actual rights. These villagers are deprived of possessing proper sanitation, electricity, running fresh water and fuel to cook (Watt 2019). For example, in the video, the reporter has stated, “Like Kami’s family, three generations usually share a little compound. They collect rainwater. There’s no gas to cook with. Some have small generators but often no fuel. Most get by with a couple of cheap, portable solar lights. Kami reckons that, if the tourists can have nice public toilets, then it’s probably time, the villagers did too”.

This is the reason why, public health in Vanuatu has become controversial matters for these villagers. They by not getting any support from the government, are harvesting the rainwater and have the only access to some transportable solar lights. These unethical actions taken by the government is not allowing them to fulfil their basic supplies or provisions (Herzfeld 2014).

These issues have gained more relevance because the inhabitants are not possessing all the needed acquaintance about their intermediaries employed in the Port vila as well as connecting the island with the entire Vanuatu tourism. These people are not keen to take the name of anyone for proper investigation. However, the anew chosen Prime Minister named Moana Carcasses possess knowledge about corruption. Hence, he aims to bring an end to these processes. Owing to the tourism dollars, these authorities have been acting unethical in terms of their villagers which has made a feeling of deception to flow in the entire place (Saverimuttu and varua 2016). The previous minister of land named Sethy Regenvanu has also been aware of the fraudulence as well as exploitative behaviour and actions of the agents present in the context because he himself was present in office of the Prime Minister. He reported that the ex-PM had given all their waterfront lease to the favourite members of his without taking are of the future conditions of these poor villagers.

P&O Cruise line of Australia is the most preferred cruise line which connects the mainland of Australia to the islands of Vanuatu. This particular home line leads the international tourists to Pentecost as well as Wala. This expenses in the cruise lines however sums large but it is negligible for the international tourists visiting Vanuatu. Now the reporter has asked the question, what happened to aids from cruise ships and the improvements which people of Vanuatu hoped for. In answer to this question Flavian Lelekte, the stall owner has stated that they do not possess any knowledge about the mission of the fund is not clear to the villagers. To him, someone is stealing or someone from this island may go to office and is indulging in the corruption. Due to this corrupting action from the part of tourist agents, these huge sum of expenditure of the tourists do not reach the locals or the government of Vanuatu. The intermediaries collect all of these quite treacherously. The cruise authority of Australia also knows these facts but do not report these immoral actions to government. According to Kami Malili, and island leader has stated that Wala’s five communities must have raked in around $500,000 from cruise ships but in these ten years, no change if situation has happened.

Recommendations to Enhance Tourism Services in Vanuatu

In ‘Vanuatu’s broken dream’, the journalist has pointed out three most significant aspects in this tourism of Vanuatu. These have led the tourism of this island to agonise more intensely. Firstly, these governments of Vanuatu working in previous terms were completely accountable for the growth of corruption.

Secondly, in local level, the government of Australia had provided the fund to the development of Vanuatu but these were not correctly used in the place. As mentioned in the video, through the Australian aid, especially AusAID, Vanuatu has gained more than $800,000 so that it can invest this fund in improving the facilities on Wala and other two islands where P&O Cruises visit. This money could have changed the economic scenario of the island.

Finally, there are instances of external manipulations with business interests. The locals in the markets of Vanuatu sell different types of handicrafts fund in these areas. These items are rather in the demand to international travellers. The Kava root has been another desirability in the places from where the residence of Vanuatu make Kava drink which is quite popular among the tourists as well as the local people. However, Vanuatu government has strictly banned this drink made from Kava root or selling any roots in Vanuatu. They are using the locals to make Vanuatu a potential market for highest bidders. It is one of the chief responsible factors for exploitation of the tourism of Vanuatu but no agencies either private or the government ones are thinking about the welfare or all-inclusive growth of Vanuatu.  

These issues might have been resolute by the collaborative measures taken by Australian and Vanuatu by issuing financial report every year.

Firstly, the fact that from 2004, the tourism committee members may not have the knowledge about their total expenses as well as business in the islands of Vanuatu (McDonald 2018). This has prevented them from understanding their situation.

Secondly, there are some discrepancies in matter of distributing leases at the lowest prices to the make the most from the personal reimbursements (Chan et al. 2017). To Sethy Regenvanu, the ex-prime minister Walter Lini has been accused for favouritism as well as corruption growing among his civil servants working for him.

Thirdly, the governments have been unable for enlisting most accountable officers related to the corruption as well as conduct their transaction methods to more transparently.

Fourthly, the governments do not have some severe laws for ending such a corruption as well as punitive measure against these breakers of law (Tabani 2017).

Finally, through monitoring their qualities of Kava, these government need to work more collaboratively with all the associated non-governmental organisations to certify only authentic venders of this Kava drink.

• These islanders of Vanuatu and its government can start self-governing ferry systems such to stop its unprincipled monopoly so that only P&O Cruise line do not plunder like this.
• People here need to take more initiatives for encouraging indigenous trades and establish cooperative banks such as Barnabas Tabi opened cooperative bank for the islanders.
• The reporters like George from foreign country are feeling concern to bring change in this matter so Vanuatu media must also cover the growing corruption to create awareness about the people’s rights in Vanuatu.

Conclusion:

Therefore, it can be concluded that the economic situation of Vanuatu is highly corrupted. It is characteristically far away from its mainland of this country. Hence, high dependence on the resources of mainland and those places which were occupied by the aboriginal people in Australia. This documentary has reviewed these subjects of dishonesty in the administration Australia which has been resulted on the deprivation of tourism sector in Vanuatu. Hence proper measures need to be taken to save the tourism of Vanuatu.

References:

Chan, C.W., Iata, H., Yaviong, J., Kalkoa, M., Yamar, S., Taleo, G., Isozumi, R., Fukui, M., Aoyama, F., Pomer, A. and Dancause, K.N., 2017. Surveillance for malaria outbreak on malaria-eliminating islands in Tafea Province, Vanuatu after Tropical Cyclone Pam in 2015. Epidemiology & Infection, 145(1), pp.41-45.

DeBlock, H., 2018. Artifak: Cultural Revival, Tourism, and the Recrafting of History in Vanuatu. Berghahn Books.

Herzfeld, M., 2014, July. The fate of rural hell: Asceticism and desire in Buddhist Thailand, by Benedict Anderson. In Anthropological Forum (Vol. 24, No. 3, pp. 311-313). Routledge.

Hess, S. and Ramsay, D., 2018. In Vanuatu,’market mamas’ are taking care of business. In International Trade Forum (No. 1, pp. 20-21). International Trade Centre.

McDonald, L., 2018. Household coping behavior and its contribution to resilience to global macroeconomic shocks in Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. Review of Development Economics, 22(4), pp.e185-e201.

Pratt, S. and Harrison, D. eds., 2015. Tourism in Pacific Islands: Current Issues and Future Challenges (Vol. 48). Routledge.

Saverimuttu, v. and varua, M., 2016. Seasonal tropical cyclone activity and its significance for developmental activities in Vanuatu. Environmental & Economic Impact on Sustainable Development, p.8.

Tabani, M., 2017. Development, Tourism and Commodification of Cultures in Vanuatu. Tides of Innovation in Oceania: Value, materiality and place, p.225.

Trau, A.M., 2012. Beyond pro-poor tourism:(re) interpreting tourism-based approaches to poverty alleviation in Vanuatu. Tourism Planning & Development, 9(2), pp.149-164.

Watt, G., 2019. A Pro-poor Tourism Case Study: Efate Island, Vanuatu (Doctoral dissertation, Auckland University of Technology).