Small is beautiful and sustainable? Tourism on Niue, the Rock of the Pacific

Abstract

Over the past decades many island states have become internationally important places of tourism consumption and as a consequence tourism has often developed into an important column of the local economy. However, it appears that micro islands are often excluded from the scholarly debate on sustainability in island tourism although their small size, limited resource base and also a high dependency on foreign aid and thus a particularly strong reliance on international tourism trade warrant further research. This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of the role tourism plays on the micro island of Niue in the South Pacific. There are many unique characteristics which make Niue a very interesting case example to further explore the sustainability of future tourism development on the island.