“Redirecting tourist flows can create new settlements," Jinming Huang, Director for Water and Urban Development at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), said during the special session titled “Inclusive Urban Resilience, Blue Economy and Sustainable Tourism in Small Island Developing States” held within the framework of WUF13, APA-Economics reports.
He stated that the concentration of tourism in certain cities and regions of small island states creates serious pressure on housing, infrastructure, and urban services.
Jinming Huang noted that the Koror–Babeldaob Sustainable Urban Development Strategy supported by ADB in Palau offers an alternative model to address this issue: “The strategy envisages redirecting tourist flows from Koror, the country’s main urban center, to Babeldaob Island, which has high economic potential but remains less developed.”
According to him, this approach creates conditions for the emergence of new settlements and sustainable housing projects, while also distributing economic activity in a more balanced way.
The ADB official emphasized that through proper urban planning, it is possible to simultaneously ensure tourism development, affordable housing, climate resilience, and the expansion of essential utility services.
He added that the Palau government has already approved the strategy and that work is currently underway to attract new investments, including from the private sector, for its implementation.
