Getting visitors to the Cooks a challenge
Getting tourists from source markets to the Cooks will be the main challenge for its tourism body as it works to maintain a year-round visitor flow, with tourism chief Chris Wong saying that while it works hard to lure visitors to its shores, the main challenge in achieving this would be accessibility from long-haul markets.
It has had a few successes, including “The country successfully negotiated with Air New Zealand for non-stop services between Rarotonga and Los Angeles when the current Rarotonga/Papeete/Los Angeles services ended in April.”
“Air Rarotonga will also commence twice-weekly services between Rarotonga and Tahiti (French Polynesia) in conjunction with Air Tahiti using an ATR 72 aircraft.”
Tourism is booming in the Cooks, which last year experienced another record year and provisional figures for 2006 showing a 4% increase for the year at 92,082 visitors.
The country’s visitors mostly came from New Zealand accounting for 47% of the total visitor numbers.
Wong, however, said Australian arrivals were marginally down at -2 percent compared to the year before at 9291 whilst the US arrivals were up 23 percent to 5445.
Arrivals from Canada increased by 12% for the same period at 2277 while European arrivals remained static at 18,195 arrivals for 2006.
“The Cook Islands has seen visitor arrivals increase by 26.5% over the last five years from 72,781 arrivals in 2002 to last year’s record of 92,082,” says Wong.
Estimated revenue from tourism is placed at $147 million for 2006, accounting for approximately 50% of the country’s GDP.
“During this period, the industry has seen an expansion and refurbishment of existing properties, development of up-market boutique resorts and approximately 200 rooms in private rental accommodation for visitors.”
“A Tourism Master plan was completed last year based on a geo-tourism strategy for sustainable tourism development, with the plan mapping the course for tourism to 2015.”
“This plan will be meshed into the country’s national development plan, which is nearing completion,” says Wong.
A key recommendation of the plan called for the re-branding of the destination, which Wong says was completed last year and launched in New Zealand, Australia, and North America.
The new brand “Cook Islands…Live Differently” was launched in Europe recently.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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