Strengthening Island Resilience
Resilience is about the abilities of countries and communities to prepare, respond and recover from the shocks that they face. It is clear that for many islands, Covid-19 offers a unique opportunity to meet local communities where they are at in building resilience and design a pathway for constructing a better, more resilient future moving forward.
Key Takeaways
Specific strategies for more innovative, competitive, equitable and sustainable island economies highlighted include:
Promoting more responsible tourism guided by human and traditional values and a focus on the interests of citizens, including a greater emphasis on partnering between residents, local tourist businesses and tourists in stewarding the future, and greater community engagement in tourism-related decisions.
Supporting economic diversification, including through innovation, re-design of tourism experiences, development of export economies, training and diversification of skills, and greater connectivity and networks.
Identifying and realizing opportunities to support sustainability with benefits for the tourism sector (e.g. waste management, culturally authentic tourist experiences, ecotourism, energy efficient transitions, and linking local agriculture to the tourism industry in ways that promote food security).
