This paper explores the feasibility for Vanuatu of implementing several key international recommendations for policy-makers for the sustainable development (SD) of national tourism sectors (UNEP-WTO, 2005). It shows that the remarkable fragmentation in its public administration system, industry associations, and in the ownership of tourism relevant resources, makes it very hard for some key recommendations to be implemented. However, others remain applicable to countries with such a different cultural setting than the Western one, where most of these recommendations were generated.

Methodologically, this paper relies on the analysis of academic literature, policy documents from Vanuatu, reports from various international organizations, and 35 face-to-face interviews carried out with a multitude of public and private actors on Vanuatu’s three main tourist islands. The interviews were conducted in July 2013 and were taped under signed consent.