Archipelago Tourism Revisited

Godfrey Baldacchino, PhD (Warwick, UK), is Professor of Sociology at the University of Malta and Malta Ambassador-at-Large for Islands and Small States. He is founding Editor of Island Studies Journal (2006–2016), former Canada Research Chair and UNESCO Co-Chair in Island Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island (2003–2013; 2016–2020), and former President of the International Small Island Studies Association (ISISA) (2014–2022). His tourism-related books include Global Tourism and Informal Labour Relations: The Small Scale Syndrome at Work (1997), Extreme Tourism: Lessons from the World's Cold-Water Islands (2006), and Archipelago Tourism: Practices and Policies (2015).

“As an archipelago, islands are better able to flex and strengthen their agency and influence. Their political strength lies in their commonality rather than their differences; although – when presented as complementary assets – differences may be of immense value in attracting a wide range of types of tourism, while encouraging multi-island hopping. These are some of the forces and discontinuities that make archipelagos so fascinating to examine, and why this volume is so significant.”-Richard Butler, Emeritus Professor of Tourism, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. “Has island tourism shifted since the COVID-19 pandemic? Is the industry intent to 'build back better' or has it become even more unsustainable? Whichever the case, archipelagos offer illuminating insights to such questions. A complex interplay of size, remoteness, urbanization, connectivity and governance issues impacts island and archipelago tourism in specific ways. This book builds on Baldacchino's 2015 work, proposing a unique lens to better understand the many dynamics affecting island tourism. Worth a read!”–Rachel Dodds, Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada.“Anyone interested in untangling the conundrum of how tourism-dependent islands in archipelagos can move towards more sustainable futures is in for a treat. This edited book significantly updates Baldacchino’s earlier volume on the subject, responding to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and combining fascinating contextual material with in-depth analysis of multi-island locations from around the world.”-Regina Scheyvens, Professor of International Development, Massey University, New Zealand.“Archipelago Tourism Revisited is a must read and a welcome addition to island tourism scholarship. This collection probes the tensions implicit in the imperatives of cooperation and competition that exist in and between islands as post-pandemic tourism destinations. Assumptions of ‘island homogeneity’ are upended by the contents of this fine collection. Instead, here are vibrant examples of how islands are navigating core-periphery relations in search of a more fulfilling post-pandemic future.”-Sherma Roberts, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.“Clearly, some islands are more equal than others: this book uses a 'core-periphery' framework to deepen our understanding of the nuances of island tourism, post-COVID-19. Twelve case studies highlight the challenges of tourism within archipelagos, including transport infrastructure at airports and seaports, supply-side constraints, marginalization of outer islands, and quality of life issues. Archipelagic tourism requires new perspectives: Baldacchino drives this ‘turn’ in island and tourism studies forward.”-Michelle McLeod, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica.

• Foreword – Richard W. Butler. Editorial: The archipelagic turn in island tourism – Godfrey Baldacchino PART I. Internal, sub-national archipelagos. 1. Covid-19 and post-Covid times in the Croatian archipelago. 2. Beyond glossy tourist images: Miyako Island, Okinawa, Japan, through the stories of Machas, a small local grocery store. 3. Nightlife, well-being, nature, and a lighthouse: Differentiation and convergence of the post-pandemic images of the Balearic Islands through tourism. 4. Tourism in Madeira and Porto Santo: Resigned subordination or partnership?. 5. Tranquility and exclusivity: Archipelago tourism after the pandemic in Romblon, The Philippines. 6. Beyond 'the Atlantic Bubble': Considering archpelagic tourism on Canada's east coast. PART II. Complete, sovereign, archipelagic states. 7. Archipelago tourism in the tri-island state: Grenada. 8. Archipelago tourism in Seychelles: Journeys through space, time, authenticity, and exclusivity. 9. Culture, Covid-19, cyclones, and supply chains: The contraction of tourism in Vanuatu. PART III. Trans-national, regional archipelagos. 10. Challenging the 'status quo': Archipelago tourism in the central Mediterranean after the Pandemic. 11. The impromtu archipelago: Sint Maarten as the hub of the Northeastern Caribbean. 12. The complex and unequal tourism triangle of the Mascarene Islands: Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues. Conclusion. Conclusion: Unsettling cartographic imaginations.