Marketing abroad

By Yunus Rashid

THE question of the South Pacific’s competitiveness in the tourism arena is quite simple and so is the answer. Does the South Pacific want to attract tourists on a scale that endangers society and the environment?

The simple answer, according to Tourism Council of the South Pacific director Levani Tuinabua, is “no”. First, the South Pacific has no competition, and, secondly, it is not in the interest of the island nations to attract large numbers of tourists who are on budget holidays. In fact the aim is to achieve the contrary.

In an interview, Tuinabua shed a new perspective on the situation tourism in the South Pacific was at. “We do not want high volumes and low yields. We want low volumes and high yields”.

The continued survival of the industry and the social and environmental set-up depends on the South Pacific’s ability to attract tourists who would accept nature in its totality and appreciate local customs without interference.

To attract large numbers of tourists would mean greater development and greater outside influence on local

lifestyles.

Tuinabua said recent surveys in the European market indicate that Tahiti and Fiji lead are favourite destinations and travel agents comment that the awareness of the South Pacific as a tourist destination has never been higher.

“This does not mean we can be complacent. Our assets are our people and our environment and we have to protect these so that the South Pacific is always an attraction. For long term development we must be able to preserve these to keep us distinct, otherwise there would be no compelling reason for tourists to visit the South Pacific in future,” he said.

As a step towards greater awareness of the South Pacific as a tourist destination, TCSP with the financial backing of the

European Community, has been partici

pating in international conventions and seminars to give the Visit South Pacific 1995 project a boost.

The South Pacific island nations have developed a new concept, South Pacific

Village. The new philosophy is designed

to allow the lesser known Pacific countries to be promoted together with

the more famous destinations.

Tuinabua said the grouping of island nations in one village allows the countries to have a bigger impact and to deal more effectively with problems facing them.

Some of the problems are different levels of awareness in the market, inadequate brochures for distribution in

market sources and lack of field market support.

TCSP is trying to fill the vacuum in the European market where only Tahiti has an office. An office is expected to be opened in the United States of America in the near future. □

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