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Cruise Tourism as an Emerging Market for Mabé Pearls and Mother-of-Pearl Products in the Kingdom of Tonga
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Cruise Tourism as an Emerging Market for Mabé Pearls and Mother-of-Pearl Products in the Kingdom of Tonga

Thane A. Militz, Sophie E. Gordon, De'Arne Kershler, Poasi Ngaluafe, Tu'Ikolongahau Halafihi, Naua Lakai, Pranesh Kishore, Nittya S. M. Simard and Paul C. Southgate
Journal of Shellfish Research, Vol.45(1), pp.61-71
2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2983/035.045.0106
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035.045.0106858.64 kBDownloadView
Published Version Open Access CC BY-NC-ND V4.0

Abstract

Pacific Islands tourism pearl oyster mabe half-pearl Pteria penguin
Small-scale or artisanal production of mabé pearls from the winged pearl oyster, Pteria penguin, is supporting novel livelihood opportunities in coastal areas throughout the Indo-Pacific region. For the island nation of the Kingdom of Tonga, this activity is now well established and has led to a use of mabé pearls and mother-of-pearl from locally cultured P. penguin to produce items targeting domestic market channels linked to cruise tourism. The extent to which these items adequately service demand, however, has not been assessed. This study evaluated market penetration, competitiveness, and favorable characteristics of mabé pearl and mother-of-pearl products by surveying cruise passengers while ashore in Tonga. Data were generated by identifying cruise passengers who had purchased pearl- or mother-of-pearl products, examining the items purchased, and then determining how certain choice criteria influenced purchase behaviors. The cruise passengers surveyed (n = 268) collectively purchased 99 mother-of-pearl, 49 mabé pearl, and 19 imported pearl items, with 40.4% of them having spent $70.57 ± 96.16 Tongan paʻanga (TOP) ($31.09 ± 42.36 United States dollar (USD)] on 1.6 ± 0.8 items per person. Nearly all items were purchased as souvenirs (94.6%, n = 159), either for oneself (54.7%, n = 87) or as a gift for others (45.3%, n = 72). A synthesis of results confirmed that cruise tourism is an emerging domestic market channel for mabé pearls and mother-of-pearl from Pteria penguin in Tonga, with the available items adequately servicing current demand for souvenirs from cruise passengers. Avenues to increase market penetration and competitiveness are suggested, but efforts to increase the number of cruise passenger arrivals will likely have the greatest impact on sales and local livelihoods.

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