Pacific / Cook Islands

Call for tourism boycott of the Cooks Islands

10:41 am on 15 November 2019

There has been a call for a tourism boycott of the Cook Islands after its government moved to strengthen anti-gay laws.

A Cook Islands beach. Photo: 123rf

Earlier this month, a select committee recommended reinstating clauses banning homosexual sex into a proposed amendment of the Crimes Act.

Stuff reports a tourism boycott was proposed last week by an Auckland Pacific community advocate, Soala Wilson.

The New Zealand tourism academic Simon Milne said such a boycott could adversely the Cooks' tourism dependent economy.

The AUT professor said tourism tended to be affected by that type of negative publicity and boycotts were a very real threat.

Two years ago, Parliament removed "indecent acts between men" from a draft Crimes Bill.

However, select committee chair Tingika Elikana has said the clause would be reinstated.

His select committee recommended Parliament reinstate a sentence of seven years' prison for gay sex.

*RNZ Pacific previously reported InsideOUT supported the boycott. Managing Director Tabby Besley says they do not support the boycott.  

  • Rights advocates condemn Cook Islands' same sex relations ban
  • Petition calls for homosexuality to be decriminalised in Cooks
  • Cook Islands retains ban on homosexuality