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Big Future Seen For Pago

The really big tourist attraction in the South Pacific will one day be Pago Pago, American Samoa, according to Captain H.

R. Gillespie, Commodore of the Matson Line fleet and master of the Mariposa,

SPEAKING in Sydney in March, on his last trip in the Mariposa be fore his retirement, Captain Gillespie said Tahiti was not what it was as a tourist attraction—thanks to the preparations for the French bomb, which had brought in the military in large numbers. Many people were disillusioned with Tahiti. But Pago was being prepared for tourism, and it also had beautiful scenery.

Captain Gillespie, who has spent most of his sailing years in Pacific cruise ships (he has been 50 years at sea, starting as a cabin boy and gaining his master’s ticket at 24) said cruising was increasing in popularity, although it was still most popular with well-travelled, retired people. Cruise ship passengers en joyed the time they were able to spend in port, and wanted more time in port.

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He doesn’t think there will be any new ports added to Matson’s South Pacific schedule, as the only likely spots for tourists are too far from the present routes. ☆ ☆ ☆ A MARINA will be built from the beach in front of the Korolevu Hotel, on the south coast of Fiji. It will consist of an L-shaped pier, 300 ft long, of steel-reinforced concrete piles with wooden decking.

It will be used for servicing the

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hotel’s game fishing launch and also to moor visitors’ boats.

The proprietors also plan to en close the area bounded by the pier with a metal mesh and transform it into a safe bathing pool. ☆ ☆ AIR New Zealand’s Electra ser vices between Nadi and Auck land were increased from eight to nine a week in April and will gc up to 10 a week in September.

From November 28, the airline will operate DCS jets with seats for 124 passengers on a daily service between Auckland and Nadi. This will reduce present flying time from 3 hours 40 minutes to 2 hours, 20 minutes.

OEVERAL committees have been established by the Saipan Chamber of Commerce to seek ways

of stimulating the influx of visitors to Saipan and of beginning true tourist development in that area of the US Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

Although at present the tourist in dustry is directed towards the 80,000 people in Guam, the vice-president of the chamber, Mr. Olympic T. Borja, has urged that realistic goals should be established for the beautification of the many historic points of interest n Saipan, and that avenues should be explored to gain community co operation in carrying out these plans. ☆ ☆ ☆ THE bar of anew hotel at Nausori, Fiji, has been finished, and the accommodation block and tourist lounge should be finished about July.

The new building will replace the old weatherboard Rewa Hotel, on the other side of the Rewa River.

The owner of the new hotel is Mr. Barry Gardner, 24, whose father owned the old hotel. ☆ ☆ ☆ THE China Navigation Co.’s Kuala Lumpur will make three cruises to Pacific Islands ports from New Zealand at the end of this year.

The ship has accommodation for about 198 passengers.

The first cruise, from Wellington, will take in Noumea, Vila and Suva, returning to Auckland.

The next two cruises will originate

from Auckland and will take in the same ports. However, the first cruise is in an anti-clockwise direction, while the second is clockwise.

The places to be visited on the second and third cruises are Nukualofa, Haapai, Vavau, Pago Pago and Suva. ☆ ☆ ☆ PAGO PAGO’S Goat Island Club has moved into new premises near the Customs area and on the second floor of an old Public Works building. The area is tastefully re furnished and looks very much like a US nightclub. The club is open every night except Tuesday.

Get It Duty Free

In Pago Pago

Pago Pago, which is making a big tourist drive, has taken a leaf from Fiji's book and selected a long list of goods that may be sold duty free as tourist bait. In April the Samoan legislature passed a bill adding, among other things, to the duty free list, washing machines, refrigerators, toasters, fans, radios, tape recorders and TV sets. Seen above is the main business area of Pago, with the main wharf on the left centre. American Samoa's big jet airport is several miles out of town. In Pago itself, a new and much-needed hotel is being built.

Pago's present Government-owned hotel is inadequate. —Photo: Qantas.