Metodolog´ ıa para el estudio de desoxidinucleosidos

The MOU is included as Appendix 1 to this thesis. This document identifies the priority areas for the DFAT-Carnival Partnership in Vanuatu. The MOU is not publically

available and Appendix 1 is a single page of the MOU, provided via email by Michael Mihajlov on 03 April 2017. The MOU is described by Carnival as the "first iteration of any evolving agreement to collaborate together on mutually beneficial projects between the two parties" (Michael Mihajlov, email, 06 April 2018). The document guided the Vanuatu research, directing which development projects were sought out and observed.

This section will examine each point of the MOU and describe the findings associated with these priority areas.

MOU, Section 1 - Promoting economic opportunities, skills development and employment for Ni-Vanuatu.

1a - The first objective was to partner with the Australia Pacific Technical College to improve training to assist Carnival recruitment to increase the number of Ni-Vanuatu working on Carnival ships. Carnival reported that this project did not work as hoped and that the training was too infrequent. Carnival have continued with shipboard training and are increasing the percentage of Ni-Vanuatu on the ships. Shipboard training means they can take on new recruits at every stop rather than have to wait for batches of new graduates. Ex-cruise crew become sought-after employees in Vanuatu's hospitality businesses, as they are highly trained and have gained deep experience working in meeting the expectations of Western tourists.

1b - Another collaborative project was with the National Bank of Vanuatu to provide microcredit and financial literacy courses to help market vendors and emerging tourism entrepreneurs. Based on the lack of information and lack of informants I believe this project is still to be enacted. The 2014 'Assessment of the economic impact of cruise ships to Vanuatu' stated:

Financial and business literacy has been identified as a critical need across a number of sectors in Vanuatu, including in the tourism and hospitality sector, where people may wish to develop tourism oriented activities but lack the

confidence and basic skills to build their own business (Australian Aid et al., 2014, p. 50).

1c - The third objective was for Carnival to work with Australia's Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) towards developing a curriculum and training

for cruise-related business, including tailoring existing financial and business

management courses. It appears there was some divergence with TVET related to the reincorporation of AusAID into DFAT and their funding model. Representatives from TVET expressed that the organisation remains very keen to work with Carnival, but it is unclear how these courses will be funded (TVET, Interview, 11 July 2017). On Santo those involved with tourism transport have received some training with the taxi and tour-bus operators being trained to become familiar with western-style expectations around hospitality.

Carnival are concerned about the expectations training can build in a community stating

"with TVET, there was a bit of miscommunication, originally, we talked about doing something collaborative, and TVET went ahead and did something independent... and as a result, they probably set some false expectation with the vendors there" (Michael Mihajlov, Carnival Destination Director, Interview 09 August 2017).

A number of taxi-drivers and small-business owners I met in Luganville mentioned that they had been trained and that they were 'ready' for tourists now.

1 d,e and f - The final three points in section one concern handicrafts and cultural performers. The handicrafts issue was one that many people in Vanuatu had strong opinions on and will be examined in section 7b.2.3. Carnival have found it challenging to address this problem, remaining committed to engaging with it. Cultural performers and market sellers are not currently allowed onto ships in port due to security. But, informants reported Carnival's co-financing a new attraction in Luganville; a water-

music28 _{activity has received Carnival support to develop a cruise-ready product that}

will be included as a ship tour. This kind of co-financing arrangement can be very constructive in Vanuatu where indigenous access to capital is difficult.

MOU, Section 1 - Sustainable economic development through infrastructure development.

2a - The production of a joint report produced by Carnival, AusAID and the IFC established a baseline economic impact position. The key findings are reproduced in section 3.4.1, including figures for total passenger and crew spend, and the average per day passenger spend by location. It also included an expected AUD$30-million benefit over the next 10-years based on increased cruise arrivals. The commission and

publishing of this report successfully fulfils objective 2a of the MOU. Carnival

indicated that a repeat (update) of this study will take place in 2018. However, the IFC reports that Carnival has postponed this, and it will likely take place mid-2019 (B. Last, IFC, Email, 15 November 2017).

2b - The second objective for SED is to develop a wharf-based market in Luganville. This was complicated enormously by the wharf redevelopment in Luganville and as at early 2018, the Mama's market is still housed under shade-tents. The wharf

redevelopment was a bilateral arrangement pursued by the governments of Vanuatu and China, and it involved the unexpected closure of the wharf and, unintentionally

impacted 4-year’s-worth of cruise scheduling, effectively returning Luganville to pre-

28 _{Water-music is popular demonstration of traditional performance by Ni-Vanuatu women from} the northernmost islands. The women stand in water and using their hands on the water they create music. Many videos of this can be found on YouTube.

2008 arrival figures. The wharf issue could not be included in this thesis, being off-topic and complex, but was an important finding that will be published elsewhere.

2 c.d and e - These points concern infrastructure. In relation to infrastructure development Carnival were quite clear that they were not interested in funding any public infrastructure. Mihajlov clearly stated that any infrastructure, including hydrological surveys, had to be non-proprietary and able to be used by all, including competitors. However, from the facilitation perspective Carnival is providing

information and assistance with ideas, linkages and support. One example would be Carnival providing assurance to other parties that if a jetty or mooring was constructed at a favourable location that Carnival could commit to including it in their schedule. This type of private sector assurance is essential when seeking finance from bi-lateral donors, or international banks.

The original MOU was signed for 3-years between 2013-2016 and was renewed in 2017. According to Carnival the new MOU has

...no major changes, it’s the same in principle... it’s going to be a little broader. It was quite prescriptive for certain projects, it’s [now] going to be more of an understanding that we will collaborate on broad projects" (Michael Mihajlov, Carnival Destination Director, Interview 09 August, 2017).