Tests dull the glitter of Caledonians' nickel isle

From a Noumea correspondent

A monthly loss of over $A20,000 i turnover and the cancellation of

ver 3,000 tourist/day bookings due

> protests over French nuclear tests

background to

hat the French had planned as the insational opening of the super hateau Royal hotel in Noumea, in in tr, f f • .• 1K In the face of international boyfits imposed especially by unionists and New Zealand, the w 250 rooms in Frances most estigious hotel in Noumea were dued with a massive evening gamsed for almost a thousand °p“7|- a ,• r TA p„ 1, A V: r ex f u . t,ve ( ?j

I rm

e Noumea press that in view of the >ycott, the airline would have to ek tourists from other countries ich as Japan, USA and Europe. Mr . Massot, UTA manager for the jj East and Pacific, pointed out that s company has just spent SA 150,000 i publicity trying to sell New Calemia to Australians who now could )t come.

At the same time it was calculated that the airline would lose about 5A2.5 million over the boycott which, significantly, came into effect just as the French flew their first big DC 10 out onto the Pacific route.

By late June, when the boycott had been operating a month, Gover nor Louis Verger arranged to meet hotel industry representatives to dis cuss the problem which had already been tackled at a meeting presided over by the director of the Cale donian Tourist Office, Mr Bruno Tabuteau. At that stage it was pointed out that the Chateau Royal had seen its turnover drop by 5A22,000 during the first month of the boycott, while bookings had been cancelled for 1,500 tourist/days. It was further expected that about 2,550 tourist/days would be lost during July, August and September.

The uncertainty in the tourist in dustry was aggravated by the fact that the duration of the nuclear tests was not known, and furthermore it was feared that if Singapore had ex tended their boycott of communica

tions to a boycott of French air ser vices then Noumea would only be connected to metropolitan France via the USA.

Fjnall the new cha|eau R , complex was opened, increasing ac- C ommodation from 80 to 330 rooms, the hote , c aimed i( was ab|e to re ce i ve 70,000 visitors per year. Un fortunate|y> however, the island's , ouHst traffic has never reached 20 000 visitors a ear and in 1972 less than 11,000 tourists came to stay jn Noumea (cruise passengers not in eluded). However, in congratulating UTA and its hote arm Gov ernor Verger pointed out that the hold extensions highlighted the des ire to bring New Caledonia closer t France Meanwhile, promoters of Noumea tourism are anxious to convince the Caledonians that a smile from the locals could be very important in helping to bring in the millions of tourist dollars that are hoped for, es pecially at a time when Paris nickel plans have gone awry.