Future of Tourism in the Pacific uncertain due to coronavirus ^Featured

But as they continue to impose strict measures to stop or limit the spread of coronavirus, tourism businesses and the lives of people who depend on them, are being destroyed.

The spread of coronavirus has seen a significant drop in travel and tourism worldwide.

Andrew Walkden-Brown, the owner of Beachhouse Resort in Fiji told Pacific Beat that they will have to cut staff in coming weeks.

"As a small hotel, we will be forced to reduce staff and maybe close in a few weeks. Sometimes it is more economic to close than stay open," he said.

Worried that the situation could get worse, Mr Walkden-Brown has developed an action plan to support his 40 employees.

"We're looking at packages to help support the staff, but it'll only be a small portion of their wage. We will also look at selling off vehicles if necessary or boats to help support the core business".

But Mr Walkden-Brown said there are several measures that could be taken to ease the pressure on tourism operators:

"Getting banks to cooperate to freeze repayments, reducing the airport tax would help stimulate tourism when it returns...concentrate on getting Australians and New Zealanders over as soon as it is practicable," he suggested.

The South Pacific Tourism Organisation says there are more than 130,000 hotel workers in 10 Pacific countries.

In Fiji, up to 40,000 people depend on the tourism industry, and it's been estimated the country could lose up to 100,000 tourists as result of the COVID-19 emergency.

Vanuatu is in a similar situation and the the country's Labour Commissioner Murielle Meltenoven said coronavirus is a major concern for them.

"We are relying on tourism industry...as we understand Australia and New Zealand are our main markets, [so] some of the businesses are already facing the consequences," she said.

She said her office is working to assess the costs for those who have lost their source of income.

"We will come up with proper assessment, present them back to the government and it will be at the discretion of our government to make sure that our economy is not affected".

Tourism accounts for about 10 percent of global GDP, but its contribution is much higher for small economies in the Pacific.

Regina Scheyvens, a professor in development studies at Massey University says there are steps governments and those in the industry can take, to protect the sector from collapsing.

"One thing they can do is reach out to their customers and encourage them to postpone rather then cancelling trips," she said.

She says it would also be important for those in the industry to reach out to loyal past customers, once it becomes safe to travel.

"What's been found after other disasters in the Pacific, is that previous clients of hotels and beach fale operations are sometimes very willing to reach out and provide assistance".

But Professor Scheyvens said that major development partners like Australia and New Zealand will also have a role to play supporting future tourism development in the Pacific.

"The tourism sector is central to the economic wellbeing of a number of Pacific islands countries now. It's going to be really important that the donors play their part," she said.