'Splendid isolation' : Embracing islandness in a global pandemic
Agius, Karl and Sindico, Francesco and Sajeva, Giulia and Baldacchino, Godfrey (2021) 'Splendid isolation' : Embracing islandness in a global pandemic. Island Studies Journal. (https://doi.org/10.24043/isj.163)
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Abstract
Islandness is often considered to be a disadvantage. However, it has helped the residents of islands to delay, deter, and, in some cases, totally insulate themselves from COVID-19. While islanders have been quick to lock themselves down, this has had a tremendous impact on their connectivity and on tourism, which in many cases is their major economic sector. Yet, the association of islands with being safe, “COVID-19 free” zones has helped these spaces to be among the first destinations to restart the tourism economy once travel restrictions were lifted. After several weeks of lockdown, and with the COVID-19 threat still looming, social distancing remained the norm. Travellers were thus eager to immerse themselves in island environments while avoiding crowds and seeking small accommodation facilities in less densely populated rural areas to limit the risks of infection — a package offered by several islands in the central Mediterranean. With many travellers opting to travel close to home, islands benefited from domestic tourism — a key market segment for islands in this region. Islands have thus performed relatively well in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and in restarting their economies; but the pandemic has also exposed challenges including a dangerous overreliance on tourism.
ORCID iDs
Agius, Karl, Sindico, Francesco ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9320-0762, Sajeva, Giulia ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5714-4804 and Baldacchino, Godfrey;-
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Item type: Article ID code: 76967 Dates: DateEvent28 June 2021Published28 June 2021Published Online28 April 2021AcceptedSubjects: Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > Physical geography
LawDepartment: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS) > Strathclyde Law School > Law Depositing user: Pure Administrator Date deposited: 01 Jul 2021 15:55 Last modified: 12 Dec 2024 11:36 URI: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/76967