Plane Arrival

Nauru is the second smallest “UN-voting” country by size; only Monaco is smaller. It’s also the smallest “UN-voting” county by population. And while the statistics are vague and unverified, some claim Nauru holds the international titled of “least visited country in the world” or at least “one of the least visited countries in the world” with an estimates 200 tourists a year. It’s location remoteness, limited “sandy” beaches and open phosphate mines throughout the interior of the island are strong reasons for the limited tourist.

In the early 20th century under German-British consortium mining of Nauru’s phosphate deposits began. It occupies about 90% of the island. In the 1980s, phosphate exports briefly gave Nauruans one of the highest per capita incomes in the World. Since the phosphate deposits have been depleted lowering the income and wealth of the country significantly. It’s anticipated that the deposits will be completely exhausted before 2050.

Alternative sources of Nauruan income include the sale of fishing licenses and receiving economic aid from Australia, which uses Nauru as a detention center or more formally know as “offshore processing centers” for asylum seekers heading to Australia. While Nauru is desperate for the economic aid these “OPC” provide, human right groups have revealed the asylum seekers are cared for poorly and have accused of Australia for allowing the neglect.

Nauru’s economic situation currently appears bleak with unemployment around 90%. Potentially, Tourism could be an additional source of income for the Nauruans, although it would require better attractions, infrastructure and transportation. And most of the other islands in the South Pacific already have a huge advantage in tourism, as they are already well developed with inherent natural resources and location advantages.

Nauru Airlines 

No Tourist, No Plane Passengers 

Yes, a handwritten boarding pass in 2020!