Question:
Discuss about the Corrupted Hospitality Vanuatu.
The analysis aims to discuss the problematic situation aroused in hospitality and tourism industry in the Republic of Vanuatu.
This discussion is based on a report ‘Vanuatu’s Broken Dreams’ by Peter George. He inspects the issues of corruption and resultant deprivation of the poor villagers and islanders in the islands of Wala as well as Pentecost of Vanuatu. George examines the various problems faced by the islanders and tried to investigate the responsible issues for corruption.
The analysis identifies and discusses the chief governing and moral issues regarding the tourism ministry of Vanuatu. It evaluates the responsibility of cruises to the islands. The report identifies the responsible persons for the development of the island and few recommendations that the authority as well as the government need to follow to end the corruption and deprivation.
Vanuatu has been one of the most celebrated islands of tourist attraction in the South Pacific Ocean. This archipelago nation consists of 83 islands providing popular recreations like sea fishing, marine sightseeing, beach combing and sailing (Pratt and Harrison 2015). Tourism in Vanuatu brings in required foreign exchange. The country is widely popular as one of the celebrated vacation destinations providing opportunities to the scuba divers to explore the South Pacific coral reefs. The scuba divers are also attracted to the wreck of the US ocean liner, which was sunk during World War II on Espiritu Santo Island. It is the only accessible largest shipwrecks in the world to which the authority gives permission for recreational diving (Wikitravel.org. 2017). Tourism has increased from 17% after 2002, when the government initiated efforts to boost tourism. Tourism has been promoted through reality TV shows also. Now, the tourism industry contributes almost 45% of the country’s GDP and 38% of total employment (François 2015). The tourists can opt for both boat and airlines to reach Vanuatu. The main ports are Port-Vila and Luganville. International cruise lines P&O operates regularly in Vanuatu’s waters (SAVERIMUTTU and VARUA 2016). The tourists may take photographs, spend time relaxing and land diving in different islands but they are much expensive. The local market sells handicrafts and local fruits and vegetables. Drink from Kava root is the most popular local drink produced by the islanders. Kava drinking is a tradition in Vanuatu but the Australian government has banned Kava selling in Australia (Tabani 2017). The islands have great resorts, banks, ATMs, postal services, restaurants, internet connections and good transportation system. Over all, the islands are safe and provide all kinds of comfort as well as relaxations to their guests.
Apparently, above facts may be true and believable from a tourist’s or government’s point of view but the reality is quite different. The tourism and hospitality sector of the country has successfully concealed the sordid truths and the insurgence of the local problems can disturb the happy image of Vanuatu tourism.
Reporter Peter George has produced a documentary named ‘Vanuatu’s Broken Dreams’ that focuses on the difficulties of the residents of the island paradise. As the name suggests, the dreams of a perfect balance between poor and wealthy not only in terms of dollars, but also all the comforts that the rich tourists visiting the islands enjoy, are shattered (François 2015). The reporter has elaborate discussions with the local island leader of Wala who says the basic facilities are not provided to the residents. The Wala islanders are expected to get a large portion of the profits made from souvenirs, trinkets, locale handicrafts and above all the most reputed kava drink. Beside these, they are supposed to get the aids from Australian government. The government has built all necessary as well as luxurious buildings only for the tourists. The villagers do not have proper septic system, running water, fuel for cooking, electricity and not even a public toilet for the community. Therefore, public health has become a controversial issue for the villagers. They harvest rainwater and get by some cheap and portable solar lights. As the island serves to be one of the most reputed tourist attractions, the villagers are supposed to get a lion’s share of the profit. They hope for the economic and social improvements but are deprived from the basic needs. Several committees have been found to examine the loophole where the money is drained to but the members of the committee have no clue about the people engaged in this fraud (Laws, Monitor and Outlook 2012). The main problems of this investigation are that these members have never left their own islands and possess a vague knowledge about the intermediaries working both in islands and in the capital Port-villa. The members are also not willing to name anyone for some unknown reason. The recently elected Prime Minister Moana Carcasses is also aware of this out and out corruption and promises to take steps against this. The tourism dollars have deeper impact on the ethical and moral values of the islanders. An implicit division has been driven among the communities and a feeling of duplicity and deception has started to flow. Therefore, the cultural integrity of the Vanuatuans is also warping. To find the supposed place where the tourist money has gone, Peter George has visited the first minister of Land, Sethy Regenvanu. Here also he finds the same broken dreams in the eyes of Regenvanu. He is aware of the exploitation and fraudulence when the former minister issued prime waterfront leases to his favorite members at rock-bottom prices without thinking about the villagers living around those prime sites. Beside the internal nepotism, the outside exploitation for personal interests also has broken the backbone of these islands’ economy.
Dreamer like Barnabas Tabi now wants to strengthen this backbone and is ready to accept any challenge for Vanuatu’s cultural- social and economic upliftment. In Pentecost, Barnabas has aimed to build an independent business centre without any help from the capital Port Vila. In order to encourage small independent business, Barnabas has launched country’s first micro-finance cooperative and invested loans to the Kava planters. Unlike Barnabas, the islanders of Wala have decided to take such independent steps so that the tourism profits are not looted (Cheer, Reeves and Laing 2013).
P&O Cruises Australia is the country’s biggest and longest-serving cruise operator. It is Australasia’s favorite cruise line and only home brand. Pentecost and Wala are the islands where outsiders can visit only by P&O Cruises (Cruising.org.au. 2017). The expense of the cruise amounts large but this money does not help in local development rather leads to treachery. The cruise authority is also aware of this perfidy but does not reveal anything to the government. There might be a scope for islanders as well as the government of Vanuatu to begin an independent ferry system like P&O Cruises and stop unethical monopoly.
On the first hand, the previous government officials as well as politicians are completely responsible for the corruption. Even the Prime Minister is informed with the corruption of the civil servants. In the local level, the money that the island authority received as aid or profit was not used properly. Beside these, external manipulation for business interest has affected the economy (Trau 2012). Moreover, the people of these islands are also responsible. They no longer pursue national interest thus have made Vanuatu a marketplace for highest bidders.
The government has not published the financial reports from 2004 so the new committee members have no knowledge about the total business and expenses. The new government must publish such reports in order to work transparently (Heath-Brown 2015). As Regenvanu experiences there was discrepancy in the issues of giving lease at lowest prices and maximization of personal benefits, the government must investigate the matter. The government is also accountable for enlisting the responsible officers and conducting the transaction method transparently. The government should pass more strict laws and the new Prime Minister has promised that his government will punish the law-breaker. The report of the United Nations reveals the rural areas of Vanuatu experiences highest levels of exploitation and deprivation. The islanders are deprived of food, shelter, health services and proper sanitation (Herzfeld 2014). The children of Wala have no access to education so cross the waters to get the elementary education. The government should solve these problems and help these small backward islanders to be self-dependent. To monitor Kava Quality, the government regulatory bodies should work hand in hand with non-profit NGOs to produce reports, warn customers and certify vendors for selling proper Kava (Cheer 2016).
The youth of Vanuatu archipelago should be critical to fight against corruption like the youth of Fiji and need to create close relationship with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Unite Nations Development Program (UNDP). As Barnabas Tabi has taken initiatives to encourage indigenous trade development in Pentecost and established cooperative bank for the islanders, the other island authorities should follow his path. For his enterprise, Tabi has been recognized by the Carcasses government. The report is based on a documentary of a foreign reporter who is concerned about the growing corruption eroding Vanuatu’s development. The Vanuatu media should be more aware and present the current situation to the public in order to eliminate the deeply seated duplicity.
Conclusion:
Therefore, from the above analysis it may be concluded that the politicians, the previous government, bureaucrats and the businesspersons have information about the constant fraud in the islands but nobody is concern about the villagers and their basic needs. The ideology that once inspired people fight for independence against the French and British colonialism has lost its context. Therefore, everyone is concerned about personal benefits instead of national interest. The residents of Vanuatu must leave the habit of criticizing the government and wait for government’s action but must change their fate themselves.
References:
Cheer, J.M., Cruise Tourism in a Remote Small Island–High Yield and Low Impact? In Dowling, R. & Weeden, C.(Eds.)(2016). Handbook of Cruise Ship Tourism. Oxfordshire: CABI.
Cheer, J.M., Reeves, K.J. and Laing, J.H., 2013. Tourism and traditional culture: Land diving in Vanuatu. Annals of Tourism Research, 43, pp.435-455.
Cruising.org.au. (2017). Cruise Lines International Association CLIA. [online] Available at: https://www.cruising.org.au/Home [Accessed 4 Oct. 2017].
François, A., Franjieh, M., Lacrampe, S. and Schnell, S., 2015. The exceptional linguistic density of Vanuatu.
Heath-Brown, N., 2015. Vanuatu. The Statesman’s Yearbook 2016: The Politics, Cultures and Economies of the World, pp.1452-1454.
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.
Laws, R., Monitor, F. and Outlook, R.E., 2012. Straight Talk: Stolen Dreams: Our ability to set the world economy straight will decide the fate of today’s young people. Finance & Development.
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.
Wikitravel.org. (2017). Vanuatu- Wikitravel. [online] Available at: https://wikitravel.org/en/Vanuatu [Accessed 4 Oct. 2017].
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