Main issue
Macpherson’s case study, “Golden goose or Trojan horse? Cruise ship tourism in
Pacific development” highlights how the pacific governments are in need of addition finances to support their demanding economy. They claim their economy is dwindling because of insufficient financial resources to support their respective economies. Therefore, the respective governments have devised diverse ways of raising money. One of the preferred methods is tourism (Macpherson 2008, p. 186).
The form of tourism arrived at concerns using ships as a means of transporting tourists across various preferred destinations. This type of tourism is referred to as cruise ship tourism. In this form of tourism, individual tourists use ships to access historical locations or geographical sites.
The main concern here is to gain access to remote areas and what needs to be done to facilitate access to these locations. Also, the pacific governments have released statistics demonstrating how the move will be beneficial and convenient to both the people and the states at large.
What would have changed 10 years on?
Had the concept of cruise ship tourism been introduced earlier, a number of improvements would have been achieved. Cruises create employment to the population and also give governments returns in form of taxes collected. This money can be spent to develop the economy of the country.
Also, there is the growth of marine- based industries. Various industries would have emerged by now had the cruise ship tourism started earlier. In addition, there would have an increase in the volume of businesses along the coastal region. This is because tourists enhance businesses whenever they tour an area.
They purchase local commodities, further aiding in the development of the local industries. Ship- based tourism incur fewer costs and lower financial risks than the land- based tourism involving hotels and motels. This is because a large portion of costs incurred in ship management and promotion of destinations are borne by the operator. If this type of tourism had been introduced earlier, a lot of money spent on inland tourism would have been directed to other development activities.
Advice to remote ship destinations
There is a challenge to countries located in remote areas that cannot be accessed by cruise ships. These countries should try and improve their coastal regions in order to allow ships of various sizes to access their coastal regions. It is vital for the government of the said countries to initiate programs that will help in developing their coastal line.
Countries with remote cruise ship destinations should be encouraged to build easily accessible destinations from which ships sailing along the coastal line can comfortably harbor. In addition, this tourism adventure is expected to increase in figure and therefore the respective governments are encouraged to collaborate in their effort to develop the coastline.
Also, as a secondary measure, these countries with remote destination should expose their geographical sites that are attractive to the tourists and capitalize on how to expand the area to allow quick and comfortable access. In conclusion, the countries should ensure the safety of their coastal region as this can be a limitation to their efforts.
Reference List
Macpherson, C., 2008. Golden goose or Trojan horse? Cruise ship tourism in Pacific development. Asia Pacific Viewpoint, Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 185-197.