Cooks business community pins hope on wage subsidy extension

The Cook Islands business community is hoping the government will extend the country's wage subsidy in an announcement on Sunday.

The current subsidy - which is keeping hundreds of mostly tourism workers afloat - is due to end next month.

There had been hope a travel bubble with New Zealand would open within months, but this week's confirmation of community transmission of Covid-19 in Auckland has dampened that.

The acting president of the Cook Islands Tourism Industry Council, Liana Scott, said extending the subsidy would help offset economic ruin.

"We look forward to hearing the details of that announcement and that announcement is really going to make business decisions for us," she said.

"I think there will be action from the government, it's just the quality of that action is really going to determine things."

Liana Scott is the manager of the Muri Beach Club Hotel in Rarotonga and acting President of the Cook Islands Tourism Industry Council.