Excerpt from PRI.ORG
As the coronavirus pandemic edges into its second year, Pacific island nations and territories have managed, so far, to avoid large numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths.
Due to their remote locations across the Pacific Ocean, most were able to quickly shut their borders, effectively sealing themselves off from the rest of the world.
Yet, while many vulnerable, isolated populations and health systems were spared, the move has come with a great economic cost to many small island nations solely dependent on tourism and key commodity exports.
In French Polynesia, tourism is the No. 1 economic driver and last year, officials estimated a loss of nearly $1.2 billion because the pandemic brought international travel to a near standstill.
Tourism workers in the French territory say they have seen a massive shortfall in their revenues.
“Before it was nice because we had a lot of cruise ships, they come and it’s full, packed, every time,” said Patricia Marchand, owner of Eriki Arts, a small boutique on the southern part of the island of Tahiti, the largest island of French Polynesia. For the last two years, Marchand has sold beverages, jewelry and art created by her husband.
“Business was good, it was really good,” she said.
At the height of the 2019 tourist season, Marchand said she’d make some $15,000 per month. Now, she doesn’t even make $1,000 per month.
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