Tourism demand and migration nexus in Small Island Developing States (SIDS): applying the tourism demand model in the Pacific region.

Abstract

This paper demonstrates the nexus of tourism demand and the migrants from small island developing states (SIDS) in the Pacific region using an econometric approach. Emigrants are an important element of island society. The tourism industry is crucial for many islands. Although the nexus of tourism and migration has been discussed in developed countries, especially in terms of Visiting Friend and Relatives tourism, this topic is more significant for (SIDS). A tourism demand model considers the regional differences of ten island states. The result shows that migrants generate tourism demand. This result, therefore, indicates that migrants should be considered one of the possibilities for generating tourism demand.