Sustainable tourism in small island jurisdictions with special reference to Malta

The Spanish version of this article is available in same document.The paper deals with the delicate balance between the economic benefits and the environmental damage of tourism, with special reference to small island jurisdictions. Most economic activities have a negative impact on the environment and very often such environmental damage has undesirable repercussions on the economy. This is especially so in the case of the tourist industry which depends heavily on environmental services. The paper discusses the dependence on tourism of small island jurisdictions and assesses the economic and environmental impacts of tourism in Malta. The paper also suggests pre-emptive and corrective measures for the promotion of sustainable tourism. The paper ends on the optimistic note that tourism itself is sharpening our awareness of the evils of environmental degradation, and that this could be conducive towards the adoption of sustainable tourism policies and measures.peer-reviewe

Some characteristics of small economies

It cannot be stated that small economies are generally richer or generally poorer than large economies. Out of a total of fifty five economies with a population of less than one million. the World Bank classifies twenty two as High-income economies. with a GNP per capita comparable to those of OECD countries. twelve as Upper-middle-income economies, fourteen as Lower-middle income ones and the remaining seven as Low-income economies. This distribution of small economies in terms of GNP per capita shows quite clearly that there is considerable variation in their economic performance. However small economies do have certain similarities in view of their size. In this paper four issues associated with small economies will be dealt with. These are degree of dependence on foreign trade the degree of concentration on a few exponed types of goods or services and the size of the public sector and the special vulnerabilities of small island economies. Since we are dealing with small. as against large. economies. it is necessary to define what is a small in this regard, and the paper starts with a description of the indices used to rank countries in terms of size.peer-reviewe

The economy of Okinawa : performance, problems and prospects

The Japanese prefecture of0kinawa1 lies between the Japanese mainland and Southeast Asia (see Figure 1) and is made up of 160 islands' of which 50 are inhabited, with Okinawa main island being by far the largest one. The islands can be divided into three major groups, namely (a) the Okinawa Island Group' b) the Miyako Island Group and (c) the Yaeyama Island Group. They lie scattered across a vast sea area of 1000 kilometres in the East-West direction and 400 kilometres in the North-South direction. The total land area of the prefecture is 2264 square kilometres, of which around 80% is taken by four islands (see map below), namely Okinawa Island (1193 square kilometres), Iriomote Island (284 square kilometres), Ishigaki Island (221 square kilometres) and Miyako Island (159 square kilometres).peer-reviewe

Small island developing states and their economic vulnerabilities

Many small island developing states (SIDS) face special disadvantages associated with small size, insularity, remoteness and proneness to natural disasters. These factors render the economies of these states very vulnerable to forces outside their control — a condition which sometimes threatens their very economic viability. The GDP or GNP per capita of these states often conceals this reality. In this paper the major vulnerabilities faced by SIDS are discussed and when possible quantified in the form of an index. An attempt is also made to construct a composite index of vulnerability.peer-reviewe

The development of the Japanese remote islands

Japan is a nation of islands. The mainland itself consists of five islands, namely Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and Okinawa. There are also 435 inhabited small islands, constituting just under 3% of the total Japanese land area, in which around 1% of total inhabitants of Japan reside. Although the word island refers to a land surrounded by sea, in this study we shall confine our definition of an island as one with a land area of 1000Km2 or less. The five ''mainland" islands are therefore excluded from this definition.peer-reviewe

Small country size and returns to scale in manufacturing

This paper tests the hypothesis that small country size is associated with constraints relating to economies of scale in manufacturing. The study adopts a production function approach, utilizing data from 43 differently sized countries. The results, confirming the hypothesis, lend empirical support to the presumption that small countries face serious disadvantages in terms of production cost per unit in their manufacturing sectors, suggesting that such countries are, as a result, seriously disadvantaged in terms of international competitiveness in manufacturing trade.peer-reviewe

A note on optimal tourism control

This note will present a diagram which can be used when discussing tourism carrying capacity. It borrows from the theory of optimal pollution control, found in most Environmental Economics textbooks. The diagram presented here relates to the need to take account of income foregone as a result of a reduction in tourism inflows, juxtaposed against the environmental damage and social discomfort that can result from excessive amount of tourism business.peer-reviewe

The cultural impact of economic conditions in Gozo

This paper attempts to show that economic realities have a major influence on the culture of a society, and this hypothesis is discussed with reference to the island of Gozo, which is the second largest island of the Maltese archipelago, with a population of just under 30,000 and the land area of about 65 km2peer-reviewe

The cultural impact of economic conditions in Gozo

This document includes the Seminar Inauguration and Closing Speeches, and notes on authors.This chapter attempts to show that economic realities have a major influence on the culture of a society, and this hypothesis is discussed with reference to the island of Gozo. The word culture is often associated with artistic behaviour and scholarly achievements (as in the German tradition), but the definition used in this chapter is wider and covers various aspects ofhuman activity such as language, customs, norms, values and beliefs. There are two points that need to be emphasised with regard to the manner in which the discussion will develop in this chapter. Firstly, the arguments to be presented are not intended to serve as evidence that culture is determined by the economic base only, or that there is a one way causation between the economic base and culture. Secondly, the discussion does not attempt to prove or disprove that certain economic conditions in Gozo cannot also be found in mainland Malta, and that, therefore, the two islands do not share certain cultural features. What this chapter tries to do is to associate commonly encountered traits in the Gozitan culture with underlying economic conditions in that island. This chapter is organised as follows. The next section describes the economy ofGozo, and focuses on some characteristics which are thought to have a major impact on G·ozitan cultures. The third section considers the issue of smallness and insularity and their cultural impact. The sections that follow deal with three specific characteristics of the Gozitan economy, namely emigration and return migration, the high dependence on agriculture and fishing, and the high incidence of self-employment, and assess how these characteristics have influenced the Gozitan culture. The chapter is concluded by a prediction that the Gozitan culture will be radically transformed as the Gozitan economy further modernises itself and as certain forms of production become more expensive to maintain, while others become more profitable.peer-reviewe

Tourism impact on the environment of small islands with special reference to Malta

A ideia fundamental deste trabalho é a de que os perigos ambientais têm implicações económicas, na medida em que constituem, a longo prazo "a cama onde nos deitamos". Isto é assim essencialmente no caso do turismo, o qual, até certo ponto, depende de um meio-ambiente agradável e atractivo. Procura mostrar-se que pequenas ilhas como Malta dependem, em larga medida, do turismo, e que existem perigos ecológicos correlacionados com essa dependência. A questão relacionada com quem pagará a degradação associada ao ambiente e o aspecto do desenvolvimento sustentado são analisados face a esta realidade. O trabalho faz referência a um número de sugestões para a adopção de uma política de turismo que integre os progressos económico, ambiental e cultural.ABSTRACT: The basic contention of the paper is that environmental dangers have economic implications, in that they "soil one's own nest" in the long run. This is especially so in the case of tourism, which to an extent depends on a pleasant and attractive environment. It is shown that small islands like Malta depend to a large degree on tourism, and that there are ecological dangers associated with such dependence. The question as to who is to pay for environmental degradation associated and the issue of sustainable development are discussed against this reality. The paper puts forward a number of suggestions for the adoption of a tourism policy which integrates economic, environmental and cultural advancement.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio