Thousands lost when Princess sails away

The cruise liner Tahitian Princess came on Wednesday, saw the bad weather – and sailed away with thousands of dollars which could have gone into the local economy.
The Papeete-based Tahitian Princess is the only regular cruise ship visitor to Rarotonga. Other cruise ships call but only occasionally, such as the recent visit by a ship diverted here because of the trouble in Tonga.
The Tahitian Princess visits pump money into the Cook Islands through the tours passengers on board come ashore to take while the ship anchors off Avatiu Harbour. Also the money they spend while ashore.
This can include in shops, restaurants and with vendors set up at the wharf and nearby Punanga Nui market.
How much money is brought into the economy during each visit? Last year 15,763 passengers visited Rarotonga on Tahitian Princess and other cruise ships, according to Statistics Office figures.
There was an estimation of an average of $67.07 spent by each passenger per day, in total just over $1 million in a year.
Visits by cruise liners such as Tahitian Princess are big business for some countries in the region – such as Vanuatu, Fiji, New Caledonia and the Samoas.
But the disadvantage the Cook Islands has is that Avatiu Harbour is not big enough for them to come in and tie up at the wharf. So if the weather is bad and it is risky or uncomfortable to bring passengers ashore in a smaller boat from the ship, Tahitian Princess will not stay. Which is what happened on Wednesday.
OPERATOR
Apart from local vendors, one of the main attractions for tourists is the island tours organised by Island Hopper Vacations.
These tours include Circle Island excursions, during which cruise passengers are told of island history, vegetation, lagoons, and culture.
SPENDING?
As well as souvenirs, one of the fast selling products is local produce. Such produce include coconuts (nu), pawpaws, and passion fruit.
MARKET
New Punanga Nui market manager Elmah McBirney has a lot more planned, including ideas involving the visits by those cruise liners.
“I would say that when most tourists come here, they are most likely to spend their money on souvenirs, such as local handicrafts and black pearls, to have memory of the places they visited,” she says.
McBirney wishes that, in the future, she could arrange with local agents Island Hopper Vacations in making the Punanga Nui Market a ‘First Selling Point’.
“Instead of having shops set up on the harbour, they could be relocated to the market. This will give travellers a huge variety of products to choose from.
“These passengers have been sailing for days from one place to another, and it would be good for them to stretch their legs, and do a little exploring by walking from the harbour to the market,” she said.
McBirney also explained that one of their aims during their clean up is to create extra parking space.
This will also enable buses, and other tour operators, to park.

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