Tourism Conference 15 - 18 February, 2008

The Cook Islands Tourism Conference held on Rarotonga was an important workshop covering various aspect of the Cook Islands Tourism Industry, including -

1) An indication of impact of tourism on the Cook Islands economy.
eg. the income and employment generated by the industry

2) The challanges the industry faces today and into the future.
eg. the cost of airfares getting to the Cook Islands; enviromental impacts: etc.

3) The promotion of Cook Islands product to wholesalers overseas.
eg. Mangaia as cultural tourism destination, safe and peaceful destination; accomodations and services available.

4) The importance of marketing strategies eg. direct and indirect marketing. Net-working or partnership with other tourism operators, promoting each other. Self promotion.

5) The role of Cook Islands Tourism Corporation.
eg. Net work with wholesalers overseas and road show promotions.

It was a very useful four days and it helped me a lot in understanding the industry and to pass on this knowledge to existing and potential tour operators on the island