Tourism reps spend day in Atiu

Atiu put its best foot forward Tuesday as 22 tourism industry reps spent more than six hours getting a taste of what the island has to offer visitors with a desire to deviate from the beaten track.
Travelling via a pair of planes chartered from Air Rarotonga, the group was treated to an island tour, an umu feast and the friendly faces of Atiu’s residents. The day trip was organized by Cook Islands Tourism as part of its first annual Visit Cook Islands Forum and involved tourism types from New Zealand, Australia, North America and Europe.
“They were all impressed, especially with interacting with the local people,” said Metua Vaiimene, the director of destination development for CI Tourism. “They seemed very positive.”
The message from the local tourism operators was clear: if you want to laze around on a beach and work on your tan, stay on Rarotonga and Aitutaki, because Atiu is all about adventure.
“Don’t send us padded-cell clients,” implored Roger Malcolm, who operates Atiu Villas. “There are a lot of activities here.”
Malcolm said having international travel reps on the island is an “extremely important” tool for showcasing Atiu to the world’s traveling public.
“Word-of-mouth is the best way to get information out,” he said. “If you get people coming here, you can try to build up from them. It’s a very slow process but when you get a mass of people here who are in the business of talking to other people about where to go, it’s a huge boost for us. It really is.”
Upon touching down on Atiu, the group was divided between tour guides, with a dozen intrepid sorts piling into the back of Birdman George Mateariki’s truck. It was a bone-jarring trip over rutted jungle roads, but the visitors were treated to a sample of Mateariki’s passion for the island’s birdlife and flora.
Everyone came together for lunch, where Malcolm and other accommodation operators took the opportunity to explain about their services.
“Our best market has been the Northern Hemisphere,” Malcolm explained. “In fact, the further the tourist comes, the more likely they are to visit here. A Northern Hemisphere visitor to Rarotonga is 13 times more likely to visit Atiu than a New Zealander.”
Asked what effect increased tourism would have on Atiu, Malcolm hoped it would help reverse the depopulation that is stripping the local population down to little more than children and the elderly.
“What we’re selling is our jungle and our environment,” he said. “I would like to see us develop as a place that tries to remain as it is. We have difference, we definitely have difference. Trying to keep it is the key.”
A visit to the Atiu Fibre Arts Studio was on the day’s itinerary, as were site inspections of several accommodation businesses.
“The collaborative effort that has gone into making this experience what it was today was definitely good,” said Vaiimene. “We can see that the Atiu people are ready to take tourism seriously. There are some good key people we can work with to really make a success out of Atiu.”

By John Ireland

Herald Issue 463 10 June
- World famous activist assisting residents
- Budget will decide if residents prosecute Government over landfill
- Forestry project sucking Mangaia dry
- Budget 2010 – fiasco or disaster?