The lure of the

Tourism

The lure of the mystical south

The South Pacific. Three words which conjure images of white sandy beaches, exotic food and drink, palm trees... in fact, it can mean just about anything you want it to. It is this mysticism that has drawn millions of people to the region throughout the years, and will continue to do so. Better market

ing and increased code-sharing has meant that the market penetration of the South Pacific as a tourist destination is growing.

And the market savvy of these nations is also increasing. Fiji, for example, hosted ninety Japanese travel agents in early April as part of a major promotional effort to bring more Japanese tourists to the coun try. The travel agents, from Osaka and

Naqoya, visited Nadi, the Denarau project, the coral Coast and an island in the Mamanucas. The agents were hosted by the Japan Asia Tour Operators Committee (JATOC) and briefed on the current “Visit Fiji Travel Agents Programme” that had been introduced to encourage the individu al Japanese travel agent to experience Fiji much like a visitor - with two nights free accommodation and reduced air fares.

This offer is good from March 1 to May 31. A reverse attempt to capture a bigger market share is a “Road Show” scheduled for May 18-20 covering Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka for Fiji industry representatives.

A combined South Pacific attempt to increase market penetration is the bid to have a popular common name for the region.

This is being supervised by the Tourism Council of the South Pacific with the results due to be announced soon. The intention of this programme is to prevent dilution of the term “South Pacific” as a region.

The various countries of the region have referred to it as “The South Seas”, “Pacific” “Oceania”, “Southern Pacific”,

“Pasifica” and many other terms in promo tions. This has created confusion in the market which TCSP hopes to correct this year.

If you are looking for more information on the South Pacific as a tourist destina tion, it is only as far away as your comput er - TCSP hosts a web site on the various Pacific countries.

Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Nauru and Papua New Guinea have their own airlines but not all of them service long-distance international routes.

Connections are available through various travel agents including special deals throughout the year to different countries in the South Pacific. Bookings for the Millennium have already started because the first day begins in the South Pacific.

So if you plan to invest in that develop ment or just be here for that occasion, the time to start planning is now. With increased air-links throughout the globe, and better infrastructural development within the countries themselves, coming to the South Pacific is not a problem. In fact, some would say, the problem is it is hard to bring yourself to leave. ■