decrease in
p. 75 · Read in the full issue
No room, so a decrease in tourists to Noumea
Noumea is suffering from a short age of hotel rooms: Such is the ex planation ]rom the Ca.eaonian Office du Tourisme of last year's decrease in the number of tourists visiting the island.
Statistics just released show that 16,168 visitors came to the island during 1969, making a 5.9 per cent, reduction over the 1968 figures.
These figures do not include the cruise ship passengers transiting through Noumea. Last year these visitors numbered 21,448.
Of those staying on the island, almost half were Australians (7,313) followed by New Zealanders (3,714), Americans (2,466) and French (1,182).
New Caledonia currently offers 362 hotel rooms for tourist accommoda tion. Their availability is restricted, however, by the fact that an ever increasing number of rooms are
occupied by businessmen, hampered
by the local housing shortage.
Four new blocks
Four new hotel blocks are cur rently under construction. These in clude a new wing of 40 rooms at the Relais de Kanumera, on the Isle of Pines, which is now nearing com pletion.
Behind Anse Vata beach, past the South Pacific Commission, the Hotel Le Lagon, with 45 rooms, is scheduled for completion in May.
At the Baie des Citrons, back from the Noumea Hotel, a 33-room hotel is under construction, to be opened at the end of this year.
For 1971, a 36-room motel is under way, immediately behind the South Pacific Commission, at Anse Vata. In the meantime, Noumea’s most luxurious hotel, the Chateau Royal, has plans to add another 250 rooms to its existing 80, by the end of 1972.
Owners of the hotel are UTH, the hotel arm of UTA-French Air lines. The company plans to build a new complex alongside the exist ing waterfront accommodation on Anse Vata beach. Chateau Royal manager, Mr. Chadel, hopes con struction work may begin by June- July this year.
These five projects will more than double New Caledonia’s hotel capacity to about 737 rooms by the end of 1972.