Europe’s on

New markets?

Europe’s on everyone’s mind

GEORGE Pakoa has been quizzed more than often. Why do we have to go to Spain when the core of our tourism and trade are with Australia? He responds: We’ve got to reach new markets and Europe is on everyone’s mind.

Vanuatu’s mission at the world’s largest Expo in Seville from April to October is two-fold: tourists and entre preneurs. The level of european visitors to Vanuatu as been almost negligible, as with investors and trade.

“We feel strongly about Expo it will open our doors to Europeans,” says Pakoa, secretary of finance and chairman of the Expo Committee.

Vanuatu in some ways is more alluring to investors than other places in the region. But few investors know of the attractions: a 20-year-old tax haven scheme and finance centre.

“The difference between us and (the rest of the) Pacific is that we have no income tax and there is easy repatriation of profits,” said Pakoa. “We encourage companies to register here and operate overseas. In return we protect and manage people’s money.”

Vanuatu’s “untouched paradise” im age, promoted in New Zealand and Australia, will be taken to Seville.

Europeans would give tourism in Vanu atu a new twist and a wider base for tapping visitors.

Tourism is badly affected now with a recession in main source markets, Austra lia and New Zealand. “Europe will help us fill the gap,” said the National Tourism Office’s administration man ager, Linda Kalpoi. A study showed that European travellers like to explore Vanuatu’s unique and exotic spots.

“Vanuatu is always a special appeal.

It has volcanoes on Tanna, custom dances on outer islands, diving on Santo and the Pentecost jumps which has been copied in Fiji, New Zealand and others,” she said.

European tourists are Vanuatu’s tar get under a five-year master plan, not just because they are big spenders but also they take group tours, which are easier to sell. For years tourism managers in Vanuatu are worried about the small number of Europeans who get to Port

Vila through New Caledonia.

“Europeans reaching us were the extending stays in Noumea,” sa Kalpoi. But a lift of 6000 Europeans forecast in a couple of years to hit a targ of 40,000 arrivals by 1993.

After a brief recession in 1988, tour arrivals rose to 34,000 in 1990.

“Expo will be our starting point Europe,” said Kalpoi. “We’ve been London and Munich with TCSP befo but it won’t be like doing it on our ov in Spain.”

A government committee on Wor Expo has another plan: to mark Vanuatu’s exports to Spanish impor and into Europe. Vanuatu has rights use the preferential access rules in

European Community countries as

member of the Lome Convention. I current European market is only Franc which takes copra and cocoa for makir chocolates. But government trade office are enthusiastic about finding marke for Vanuatu’s quality beef, coffee, ga ments, kava (to be used for makir pharmaceuticals in Europe), garment veneer, tropical soap and furniture j

Europe.

Principal trade officer Roy Mickey h; done overseas market researches. “Oi export base is quite small and one of tt problems, has been poor infrastructm and government bureaucracy but as w prepare for Expo and Europe we’ll hav to do all it takes to promote oi potential,” Mickey told Pacific Islam

Monthly.

Mickey said Vanuatu is the only thir of eight island countries, invited by th European Community to be in th Pacific village at Expo, to pay v SUS 150,000. “We’re raising anothe $U570,000.” Several firms includin hotels, leading stylish garment manufac turer Michoutouchkine and the nei government National Bank of Vanuat will carry the republic’s name in Seville C