Australians

Uta Wants More

To Go To Moorea

UTA French Airlines hopes to increase the percentage of Aus tralian visitors to the Club Medi terranee, on Moorea, near Tahiti, by five or six times.

At present, American visitors make up about 90 per cent, of package deal visitors to the recently opened village resort. UTA would be happier if Australians made up 30 per cent, of the visitors, since this would give the airline an improved passenger loading for its flights out of Sydney.

To boost the number of Aus tralians visiting Moorea, UTA has carried out big promotion campaigns in Australia this year. It has also bought a half share in the club.

UTA’s Moorea package deals offer all-inclusive prices. All meals are included in a Moorea holiday, and the only currency used in the village is a “token” which can be exchanged for drinks.

No meals

Many visitors to Fiji—French Polynesia’s biggest tourist rival— would welcome a package deal along the UTA-Moorea lines. Very few package tours to the colony include meals, as Fiji hotels operate on an “a la carte” basis—visitors pay as they eat.

Although the air fare to Tahiti from Sydney is reduced by taking package deals to Moorea (which, incidentally, can only be booked with UTA), the cost of a Moorea holiday is still high for most Australians.

UTA is offering the following tours to Moorea, including return air fare by DCS “stretch” jet and full accommodation: Sydney-Moorea, 16 days, 5A579; 23 days, SA6SB; Auckland-Moorea, 14 days, SNZ4B9; Los Angeles-Moorea, 14 days, SUSS99, 21 days, SUS 679.

With two more Mediterranee Clubs to be opened in the next 12 months in New Caledonia and French Polynesia, UTA is anxious to make the Moorea venture a success from the word go. If it is. the airline could take up interests in the future resorts.