Richard Curtain and Liz Pechan – Should the Pacific join the Trans-Pacific Travel Bubble?

Welcome to Episode 79 of Good Will Hunters from the Development Policy Centre. Today on the program we have Richard Curtain and Elizabeth Naru Pechan.

Richard is a Research Fellow with the Development Policy Centre, with a focus on Pacific Labour Mobility. Liz is the Founder and Co-Owner of the multi-award winning resort The Havannah in Vanuatu. Within four days of Australia closing its borders to international travel, Liz’s resort had zero income. Over the last two months, she’s been contributing to Vanuatu’s response to both Covid-19 and Cyclone Harold by devising a tourism sector recovery plan.

Liz, on the Devpolicy blog here.

Richard, on the Devpolicy blog here.

In this episode, Richard and I discuss the Trans-Pacific Travel Bubble, including whether the benefits outweigh the risks for Pacific Island countries. We discuss whether the Pacific is too dependent on tourism, along with how best to approach labour migration during the Covid-19 recovery period.

Liz and I discuss what the reality has been for tourism sector workers in Vanuatu and whether any support is being provided to workers who have had their contracts terminated. This episode analyses the road-ahead for tourism and labour mobility in the Pacific, and whether a travel bubble is the best way forward.

Enjoy,
The GWH Team