Islands Business - Tourism: TAKEOFF HOPE

New flights for Cook Islands

Nina Ratulele
Rarotonga International Airport will be busy in April. It will welcome the arrival of new planes and services. They come amidst renewed hope for the Cook Islands tourism industry.

Within a space of days, as April begins:
• AIR NEW ZEALAND launches weekly direct Rarotonga-Los Angeles-Rarotonga flights with its 234-passenger Boeing 767-300 jets. These will fly twice weekly in peak periods.
• AIR RAROTONGA and AIR TAHITI, till now domestic airlines, go international launching twice-weekly code share services between the two Polynesian capitals. They will use a 66-passenger Air Tahiti ATR72-500.
• AIR NEW ZEALAND introduces its 313-seat Boeing 777-200 twice weekly on its busy Auckland-Rarotonga-Auckland services, complementing flights by its Boeing 767-300s and 152-seat Airbus A320s.

Chris Wong... Cook Islands Tourism Corporation chief executive.

Amidst all this, out go three weekly Air New Zealand Boeing 767-300 flights Auckland-Rarotonga-Papeete-Los Angeles. Air New Zealand is replacing them with an Auckland-Papeete-Los Angeles code-share service with Air Tahiti Nui.

The aviation developments come just months after the announcement of record visitor figures for 2006.
Cook Islands Tourism Corporation chief executive Chris Wong told Cook Islands Herald newspaper these reached new heights, with 92,082 visitors during the year. That was up 4% on 2005 arrivals of 88,405.

The figures were bumped up by a December record of 9463 visitors, boosted in part by the November pro-democracy riot in Tonga and early December coup in Fiji.

One of the most significant figures was the continued increase in holidaymakers from New Zealand, the country’s main market.

New Zealand visitors increased 5% over the 2005 figure, with 43,179 arrivals (excluding Cook Islanders resident in New Zealand). New Zealanders now account for 47% of the total visitors.

Fiji-born Wong is a former Fiji Visitors Bureau Regional Director Americas. He explained in the Cook Islands Herald that Cook Islands tourism has witnessed significant changes in visitor mix over the past five years.
In 2001, Northern Hemisphere visitors accounted for 48% of total arrivals.

He said the growth of the New Zealand market has been helped by both Air New Zealand and Pacific Blue competing with low-cost flights on the Auckland/Rarotonga route. Pacific Blue now operates its 180-seat Boeing 737-800 jets twice weekly on this route, with connections to and from its Brisbane hub in Australia.

The low-cost fares have also boosted the number of Cook Islanders in New Zealand and Australia returning to visit friends and relatives. These more than doubled in the past five years, with 10,524 Cook Islanders returning last year compared to 5043 in 2001.

In December, downtown Avarua on Rarotonga was bustling with New Zealanders, Australians, Cook Islanders living overseas and people from Europe. Visitor figures from all were up on the previous December. Cafes, shops and bars were busy.

Other interesting figures revealed by Wong included:
• Based on full statistical figures available for 2005, New Zealanders (excluding Cook Islanders) on average spent 8.6 days in the Cook Islands, Australians 9.5 days, Europeans 8.4 days, Americans 9.6 days and Canadians 10 days.
• Online visitor surveys show New Zealanders spend NZ$167.40 per day on average, Australians $165.00, Europeans $160.50, and North Americans $151.80.

The spending by the New Zealanders was a surprise to some locals. They had regarded New Zealanders as amongst the visitors who spent the least. Not according to these figures.

Wong said Cook Islands Tourism Corporation is trying to create a balance of visitors between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere markets.

This is to ensure year-round visitor flows for the tourism industry.

Much will depend on the successful marketing of those direct Rarotonga-Los Angeles-Rarotonga Air New Zealand flights taking off and landing at the beginning of April.

In February, a Cook Islands Tourism Corporation-organised group was on the West Coast of the United States marketing this. Another group was heading to Europe to do the same.