Identifying challenges of aviation growth within the South Pacific region : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Aviation at Massey University, Manawatū Campus, New Zealand
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Date
2022
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Massey University
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Abstract
The aviation and tourism industries are major cornerstones of economic and social development within the South Pacific Region (SPR). The SPR is a tourism-dependent region with air transport as the primary mode of transport for inbound tourists, given its geographical isolation from the rest of the world. Despite the importance of the aviation industry for the tourism sector and economic development within the SPR, there are continual challenges for the aviation industry within the SPR to grow and be sustainable. This PhD thesis investigates three key and related challenges facing the aviation industry within the SPR during different stages of the COVID-19 era. Chapter 1 examines the effects of the aviation sector on tourism growth within the SPR via econometric estimation for data collected from 2008 to 2018. It was found that the aviation industry has positively influenced tourism growth within the SPR, which justified government support for aviation and tourism growth during the pre-COVID-era. Chapter 2 explores the perspectives of stakeholders on aviation subsidy programmes within the SPR through interviews and thematic analysis amid COVID-19 era. It was found that the SPR countries’ aviation sectors are heavily reliant on aviation subsidies to operate and develop, but may also be subject to political influence and misuse. Because of the scale of the problem, it was noted that the SPR governments could not provide sufficient support for aviation operators during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chapter 3 systematically reviews the literature and publications (2010‒2021) regarding the strategies for mitigating and controlling the impacts of pandemics on the air transport and tourism sectors during the post-COVID-19 era. The findings highlighted the importance of travel-related policies and measures (e.g., border closures and travel restrictions, quarantine and isolation, hygiene measures, virus testing, contact tracing, airport screening and other measures) for mitigating and controlling future pandemics that may happen within the SPR. Overall, the three empirical studies comprising this PhD thesis contribute to the aviation and tourism literature of a under-researched region (SPR) by providing insights from multiple dimensions, including international inbound tourism, aviation subsidies, travel-related policies and measures for future pandemics. It also provides evidence-based policymaking, pragmatic and practical insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders to develop the SPR’s aviation, tourism and economies
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Aeronautics, Commercial, Subsidies, Tourism, Pandemics, Prevention, Oceania