Cooks considers tourist controls

THE main Cook Island of Rarotonga is as saturated with tourists as Hawaii, but Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Henry warns limiting their numbers could cool the economy.

Last year, there were 52,868 visitors to Rarotonga, which is home to 10,000 people the same one-to-five ratio that has given Hawaii a reputation of being overrun with tourists. And their numbers are estimated to reach 55,000 this year.

The country, however, gives the

impression of coping the long-

awaited Italian-funded Sheraton Hotel is due to open this year with 180 luxury rooms. Henry told the Chamber of Commerce in a speech recently that the country could welcome a lot more tourists without flooding the market. “If that appalls some, remember that there are ways to quickly and deliberately slow down the growth, just as there are

ways to cool the economy should it ever become inflationary,” he said.

Tourist numbers could be controlled through limiting air rights and restrict ing hotel licences. However, that would be premature, as the outer Cook Islands that choose to be involved in tourism need to be satisfied first, he said.

Henry said that although Hawaii was saturated, the tourists there were spread across the numerous islands, whereas here it was only on Rarotonga. He said many new activity facilities needed to be built here.

“Surveys have shown that although our visitors have budgeted to spend money here, they rarely find enough reasons to do so and depart with half of their cash intact,” he said. He said tourism industry growth did not need to be maintained by increasing the num bers of visitors, but by getting the

existing number of tourists to spend more. He has previously said the Cook Islands should discourage budget backpacking tourists from coming, . uc h has been made of my sugges *lon that we should cater to big spenders versus backpackers, but, think of it, would Y ou really «W»t the converse of that approach?” he said, Although he acknowledged that it ma y be true that backpackers stayed longer he said the big spender could also be induced to do that. “It is achieved through a better total travel experience, Greater opportunity for outer island travels is one strategy towards this end.”

Tourist Authority director Chris Wong director said the high rate of tourist growth could not be taken for granted, “We have to be conscious of the fact that percentage growth we have en joyed is going to be increasingly difficult to maintain,” he said. AFP