The Maldives: Parallel paths of conventional and alternative tourism

Abstract

Due to natural resource limitations, island destination planners often direct attention to tourism as an engine for development, with many embracing the industry as an “economic miracle” capitalising on ample endowments of sun, sea and sand (Ioannides 2000; Nowak et al. 2007). This may create hyper-dependency, whereby traditional industries such as shing or agricultural monocultures are replaced by tourism. Government pro-growth proclivities and investment in tourism, however, are based on the assumptions that this sector will mitigate the numerous development constraints they face (Wilkinson 1989). Indeed, tourism in island destinations is usually seen as a convenient and expeditious means for generating employment and foreign exchange earnings.