Recommendations

The fifth objective of this study was to offer some suggestions for managing any long-term effects of cruise ship tourism. Currently, the government is promoting increases in cruise ship arrivals into Vanuatu so that expenditure from the cruise ship tourists would benefit more local people. However, the government currently does not have in place any cruise ship tourism management polices to manage the impacts, should this industry increase further. Since cruise ship tourism is a major component of the tourism industry, the social and

environmental problems cannot be ignored. The government needs to plan now. It is vital that the government formulate a Cruise Tourism Plan to guide them in managing the impacts. Although, the cruise ship company is not under the jurisdiction of the government, the impacts that the industry brings affect the Vanuatu citizens. Therefore, it is urgent that the

government makes management plans concerning the social and environmental impacts. As discussed earlier, this type of tourism has some impacts unique to the industry. As such, there is a need to address them separately as to how to manage them. The policy guidelines should be drafted in with the country’s tourism Master Plans, setting out strategic actions to be taken to manage impacts of different type of tourism in order to maximise the positive impacts, while taking necessary measures to minimise any potential negative impacts.

Vanuatu and other small island states in the Pacific dependent on this type of tourism should learn from the experiences of what is happening in the Caribbean and use them as learning exercises in managing the impacts of this type of tourism. When planning the guidelines, policy makers need to gather views from various government and non-government bodies such as those listed below – the list is not inclusive, but should be representative of everyone affected by the industry.

Government bodies:

• Ministry of Tourism

• National Tourism Development Office • Vanuatu Tourism Office

• Port Vila Municipality

• Vanuatu Investment Promotion Board • Environment Unit

• Ministry and Department of Internal Affairs • Ministry and Department of Finance

• Ministry of Ni Vanuatu Businesses

Non-government bodies: • Taxi Association

• Market Vendors Association • Shipping agencies

• Tour operators

• Women’s organisation

Such a plan should take into consideration policies on managing the economic, cultural, social and environmental impacts. It should also have implementation strategies and set out actions

to be taken in the event that something goes wrong with the industry. In addition, the government should continue its tourism education and awareness programs. It is important that they ensure that the people are aware of both the benefits and consequences of allowing cruise ships into their community, especially to the rural areas. Once informed, the people are then better able to make informed decisions and choices.

The government and the private sector need to work towards addressing issues leading to tensions and fights at the wharf, and find solutions to rectify the situations. There should also be stricter control measures at the wharf during cruise visits where the police are present at all times to prevent fights occurring amongst the drivers. The government and the two taxi associations are also planning to introduce an accreditation programme for all drivers, where they are accredited before providing service to all international visitors. The programme should set out criteria that have to be met before the driver is accredited. It will also detail the types of vehicle that can be used as taxis or buses, the type of training to be undertaken by drivers, and disciplinary measures to be taken. Although standardisation of the taxis and buses will be one way of preventing problems from arising, the underlying problem is the lack of employment opportunities. Standardisation will only make those who can afford to buy the vehicles that meet the standards to have monopoly over the taxi and bus operations.

The Vanuatu Tourism Office and the National Tourism Development Office are working towards an accreditation programme where taxis and buses have to be standardised; this is a good thing as it will alleviate some of the existing problems currently faced by taxi operators. However, the downside to this is that the certification and award may not often be the best way to solve the underlying problem. It will only ignore the real social issues, which are the main issues behind the fights between the taxis and bus drivers. For those who may not have other opportunities to find a job in Vila due to their limited education, allowing only those who meet the standard is like cutting a huge part of their income. The taxi and bus operators should reorganise themselves so that there is an equal number of transport operators servicing both the tourists and the public. This should be based on a rotational basis so that everyone gets to benefit.

The Vanuatu Investment Promotion Authority should be stricter in enforcing its regulations and take disciplinary actions against the law breakers to alleviate feelings of marginalisation by the small operators.

Although this study is exploratory and found this to be true of Port Vila, there needs to be further studies elsewhere in other cruise destinations in Vanuatu to determine whether the same can be true for Vanuatu as a whole. There also needs to be a survey to quantify these initial results. Studies need to be done in other countries as well, especially in the Pacific, to find out if the same is true. Therefore, there is a need for more research (both quantitative and qualitative) to be carried out to validate the findings of this exploratory study.