The secluded waters of Divers Bay are off the beaten path for cruise ships sailing the Pacific. But when tourists come ashore to its remote village, in Vanuatu's far north, its people put on a show.Local chief David Silas said villagers performed traditional, or 'kastom', dances and let tourists join in.Supplied: David Silas' give money to the people for what they showcase,' Chief Silas, also the area's tourism association chairman, said.
But there are too few visits like this for the village, on the island of Ureparapara. While only one cruise ship stopped at the island last year, Chief Silas would like to see four to five visits a year.It's a situation on the minds of tourism authorities throughout the Pacific as the cruise industry resurges. After coming to a halt during COVID-19 — and despite reputational damage from pandemic-era episodes such as the Ruby Princess outbreak — cruise liners have made a global comeback. Cruise holidays have made a comeback despite controversies such as the Ruby Princess COVID-19 outbreak.Concerns about overcrowding in Europe's most popular cruise stops have even prompted some cities there to ban cruise ships or tax their passengers.While the ships have been away, the region's island nations have been thinking about how to get the most value from cruises when they return. Now they're back, tourism bodies and observers say it's the Pacific's outer islands that stand to benefit most.Far from shunning cruises after the pandemic, tourists are taking them in record numbers. Cruise tourism surpassed pre-pandemic levels globally in 2023, reaching 31.7 million passengers, up nearly 7 per cent on 2019, according to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).Pacific Islands have welcomed the return of cruise ships after the pandemic.Last year, Pacific Island nations had nearly 680,000 cruise ship visitors, compared to about 750,000 in 201