Radio NZ, Tues 23 Jan – A government report says the standard of infrastructure in the Cook Islands is not up to the task of handling the number of visitors to the country. The report in the recently-released Half Year Economic and Fiscal update said the country’s biggest industry could be under threat if continued growth is not matched by necessary improvements. About 160,000 visitors are expected to visit the Cook Islands this year, and a raft of consents have been issued for new accommodation developments.
If tourist arrivals continued to grow at the rates recently seen without improvements to infrastructure and accommodation capacity, possible risks include increased costs to the tourism industry, decreased visitor satisfaction, and the dissatisfaction of local residents.
The surge in tourism numbers is already concerning some locals, with an opposition MP, Selina Napa, calling for a cap on the number of visitors to the country. Read in RadioNZ
