The home-style accommodation company Airbnb is holding a workshop this week in the Cook Islands as part of a regional push to have more locals to join.
Rarotonga airport Photo: RNZI Walter Zweifel
The company has teamed up with Pacific Trade Invest Australia to provide training on the benefits of home sharing through a series of workshops across the Pacific, and held their first workshop in Samoa in February.
Cook Islands Tourism's marketing manager, Karla Eggelton, said she had witnessed rapid growth in this type of accommodation and says they support more locals getting an income with minimal investment
"We want tourism in the Cook Islands to be an all inclusive sector and industry. And Airbnb provides that opportunity for everyone to be given that opportunity to come on board. You don't need millions of dollars to build hotels or buy properties.
"All you need is a vested interest and a passion to be part of the industry and we want to embrace that, nurture it and grow it."