1st Edition

Archipelago Tourism Revisited Core-Periphery Dynamics after the Pandemic

Edited By Godfrey Baldacchino Copyright 2025
286 Pages 30 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

286 Pages 30 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

286 Pages 30 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This timely and innovative book explores the dynamics of inter-island/island-island tourism – also known as archipelago tourism – on the cusp of the post-pandemic epoch. Embellished with illustrative maps and diagrams, the volume examines what novel approaches have been developed, if at all, so as not to repeat past mistakes, and nurture a more sustainable, 'island tourism' business model. It... Read more

Foreword – Richard W. Butler

Editorial: The archipelagic turn in island tourism – Godfrey Baldacchino

 

PART I. Internal, sub-national archipelagos

 

1. Covid-19 and post-Covid times in the Croatian archipelago

Anica Čuka, Željka Kordej-De Villa and Nenad Starc

 

2. Beyond glossy tourist images: Miyako Island, Okinawa, Japan, through the stories of Machas, a small local grocery store

Ayano Ginoza and Atsushi Toriyama

 

3. Nightlife, well-being, nature, and a lighthouse: Differentiation and convergence of the post-pandemic images of the Balearic Islands through tourism 

Aina Gomis and Mercè Picornell

 

4. Tourism in Madeira and Porto Santo: Resigned subordination or partnership?

António Manuel Martins de Almeida and Brian Garrod

 

5. Tranquility and exclusivity: Archipelago tourism after the pandemic in Romblon, The Philippines

Joefe B. Santarita

 

6. Beyond 'the Atlantic Bubble': Considering archpelagic tourism on Canada's east coast

Laurie Brinklow, Louise Campbell, Andrew Halliday and Isabel MacDougall

 

PART II. Complete, sovereign, archipelagic states

 

7. Archipelago tourism in the tri-island state: Grenada

John N. Telesford and Godfrey Baldacchino

 

8. Archipelago tourism in Seychelles: Journeys through space, time, authenticity, and exclusivity

Godfrey Baldacchino and Hervé Atayi

 

9. Culture, Covid-19, cyclones and supply chains: The Contraction of tourism in Vanuatu

John Connell

 

PART III. Trans-national, regional archipelagos 

 

10. Challenging the 'status quo': Archipelago tourism in the central Mediterranean after the pandemic

Karl Agius

 

11. The impromtu archipelago: Sint Maarten as the hub of the Northeastern Caribbean

Arend Jan (Arjen) Alberts

 

12. The complex and unequal tourism triangle of the Mascarene Islands: Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues

Hélène Pébarthe-Désiré

 

Conclusion: Unsettling cartographic imaginations 

Godfrey Baldacchino

Biography

Godfrey Baldacchino, PhD (Warwick, UK), is Professor of Sociology at the University of Malta and Malta Ambassador-at-Large for Islands and Small States. He is founding Editor of Island Studies Journal (2006–2016), former Canada Research Chair and UNESCO Co-Chair in Island Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island (2003–2013; 2016–2020), and former President of the International Small Island Studies Association (ISISA) (2014–2022). His tourism-related books include Global Tourism and Informal Labour Relations: The Small Scale Syndrome at Work (1997), Extreme Tourism: Lessons from the World's Cold-Water Islands (2006), and Archipelago Tourism: Practices and Policies (2015).

“As an archipelago, islands are better able to flex and strengthen their agency and influence. Their political strength lies in their commonality rather than their differences; although – when presented as complementary assets – differences may be of immense value in attracting a wide range of types of tourism, while encouraging multi-island hopping. These are some of the forces and discontinuities that make archipelagos so fascinating to examine, and why this volume is so significant.”

-Richard Butler, Emeritus Professor of Tourism, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. 

 

“Has island tourism shifted since the COVID-19 pandemic? Is the industry intent to 'build back better' or has it become even more unsustainable? Whichever the case, archipelagos offer illuminating insights to such questions. A complex interplay of size, remoteness, urbanization, connectivity and governance issues impacts island and archipelago tourism in specific ways. This book builds on Baldacchino's 2015 work, proposing a unique lens to better understand the many dynamics affecting island tourism. Worth a read!”

–Rachel Dodds, Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada.

 

“Anyone interested in untangling the conundrum of how tourism-dependent islands in archipelagos can move towards more sustainable futures is in for a treat. This edited book significantly updates Baldacchino’s earlier volume on the subject, responding to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and combining fascinating contextual material with in-depth analysis of multi-island locations from around the world.”

-Regina Scheyvens, Professor of International Development, Massey University, New Zealand.

 

“Archipelago Tourism Revisited is a must read and a welcome addition to island tourism scholarship. This collection probes the tensions implicit in the imperatives of cooperation and competition that exist in and between islands as post-pandemic tourism destinations. Assumptions of ‘island homogeneity’ are upended by the contents of this fine collection.  Instead, here are vibrant examples of how islands are navigating core-periphery relations in search of a more fulfilling post-pandemic future.”

-Sherma Roberts, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.

 

“Clearly, some islands are more equal than others: this book uses a 'core-periphery' framework to deepen our understanding of the nuances of island tourism, post-COVID-19. Twelve case studies highlight the challenges of tourism within archipelagos, including transport infrastructure at airports and seaports, supply-side constraints, marginalization of outer islands, and quality of life issues.  Archipelagic tourism requires new perspectives: Baldacchino drives this ‘turn’ in island and tourism studies forward.”

-Michelle McLeod, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica.