Photo: 123RF
Cooks Islands tourism figures for 2023 have exceeded the industry's expectations.
Tourism CEO Karla Eggleton says at the beginning of the year the national tourist office had forecasted to welcome about 130,000 visitors to the island.
But Eggleton was ecstatic upon receiving the numbers for November, saying its speaks volumes to the post-Covid Cook Islands experience.
"Without counting December visitor arrivals we're already over the 130,000 mark. I think that that's a really great place for the Cook Islands to end 2023 and a wonderful benchmark to start 2024," she said.
The industry has contributed to 75 percent the nation's gross domestic product (GDP) in the last quarter of 2023, according to the economic planning department.
Karla Eggleton Photo: Facebook / Screengrab
The tourism industry has launched a new destination development strategy to optimise travel into the country by encouraging visitors to explore the outer islands.
Eggleton said connecting tourists with local communities and unique experiences is a "new balance" the industry is exploring.
"We have to take extra care and take priority on future proofing the sector that keeps our country running and operating. We're ensuring that they are able to have new and real and relevant experiences that our people are willing to share."
Palmerston Island, Cook Islands Photo: Cook Islands Tourism Corporation
New air routes boost business
The country has noted an increase in visitors travelling from the North American and European markets due to the launch of new air routes in 2023.
Hawaiian Airlines and Air Tahiti commenced regular direct flights to Rarotonga mid 2023, much to the delight of the local tourism industry.
Eggleton said the routes have been doing much better than they originally expected.
"Visitors are finding us and so all of a sudden the European market and the American market which were pretty much closed off to the Cook Islands is now a part of our business.
"We can see that continue to grow, so we've been really, really happy with that."
Visitor arrivals figures for 2023 revealed the Australian market has been a major game changer for the economy.
The Sydney-Rarotonga route commenced in June 2023 and due to its popularity, was boosted from three to four flights a week in October.
The Jetstar service expects to carry over 70,000 passengers a year to and from the Cook Islands.
Eggleton said the Australian market has boosted their Southern Hemisphere figures, a major contribution to the post-pandemic recovery.
"In fact, we're seeing more Australians ever every month as businesses going forward and it's been quite important because that mix of customers is going to not only fill our rooms, but we can see through our International Visitor data that people are staying longer and spending more and most importantly visiting our a enua."
Industry 'optimistic'
The Cook Islands Tourism Industry Council president Liana Scott said there are more tourists this December and January then a year ago.
Scott, who also the general manager of Muri Beach Club Hotel, said the industry is feeling optimistic about the year ahead.
Liana Scott Photo: Supplied
However, she said February is always quiet and local operators are advertising staycations to fill the gaps.
"Most places are pretty optimistic and they're optimistic because the forward [bookings] are actually looking pretty good," Scott said.
"February seems to be the low months that no matter what special you have out in the market, it really doesn't move too much. So it's a very good time to get in the rooms and do maintenance and get some bigger jobs done."
Scott said numbers are looking good from March onwards out of both New Zealand and Australia.