Sailing Through Post-Pandemic Recovery? The Role of the State for Workers in Cruise Tourism Industry in the Philippines

Abstract

Based on reflections of the issues encountered from ethnographic studies aboard ocean-going merchant ships and a seafaring community in the Philippines, pressure points on seafarers' lives that situate them in a precarious situation are explored. Due to the pandemic, the decline in total remittances was due to a huge fall in sea-based remittances of about 81% in 2020. The widespread loss of jobs has magnified vulnerabilities in the seafaring sector. The emergent exploration of worker vulnerability in cruise tourism industry is useful in identifying the necessary support for cruise workers to mitigate the long-term undesired effects of the pandemic. The fieldwork also reveals that the demand placed upon seafarers' daily and organizational lives are gendered. Women and men are differently constituted in the shipping and tourism industries which affect work opportunities and family values. The chapter aims to contribute to the discussion on inclusivity vis-a-vis the recovery plan of destination tourism by underlining the gender dynamics in cruise tourism, as it aligns with the general roadmap of growth for Southeast Asian cruise tourism program. We show that the transnational nature of cruise tourism on both labour and employment is interlinked with destination tourism, and the gender dynamics identified and reviewed will help identify and further promote inclusivity in the regional recovery tourism plan.

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