Globalisation, crafts, and tourism microentrepreneurship in the South Pacific: economic and sociocultural dimensions

ABSTRACTThis research assesses the economic and sociocultural dimensions of the handicraft and souvenir sector from the perspectives of predominantly female market vendors and microbusinesses in the South Pacific region. It focuses on two countries, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, which vary in their levels of tourism development, tourist characteristics, and available research on tourism impacts. Handicraft and souvenir businesses offer economic opportunities in remote and emerging island economies but face challenges from globalisation and tourism. The Solomon Islands prioritise locally crafted artworks, while Vanuatu largely depends on importing souvenirs, particularly for the large cruise-ship market. Such practices often lead to commodification and misrepresentation of local cultures and destinations, as businesses cater to the demands of tourists and engage in broader processes of international exchange and globalisation. While micro-entrepreneurs generally express satisfaction with their income from selling handicrafts and souvenirs before the pandemic, data indicate that benefits, mainly from cruise-ship tourism, are unequally distributed.KEYWORDS: Handicraftssouvenirsmicro-entrepreneurshipSouth Pacificglobalisationtourism impacts Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationFundingThis research was supported by the Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of the South Pacific.Notes on contributorsAlexander TruppAlexander Trupp is Associate Dean (Research and Postgraduate Studies) cum Associate Professor at the School of Hospitality and Service Management, Sunway University, Malaysia, and the co-editor-in-chief of the journal ‘Advances in Southeast Asian Studies’.Chetan ShahChetan Shah is a doctoral student at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. He has more than a decade of work experience in managing operations, teaching, training and consulting.Michael HitchcockMichael Hitchcock is Professor Emeritus at the Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship, Goldsmiths University of London, UK and Visiting Professor at the School of Hospitality and Service Management, Sunway University, Malaysia.