The 3rd International Web - Conference on Culinary, Fashion, Beauty, and Tourism

“Increasing Tourism Academic Quality Through Global Networking toward Reputable Research”
November, 4th 2020
Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality, Universitas Negeri Padang

Cover Photo: Patrick Oberem / Shutterstock

 PACIFIC TOURISM DATA INITIATIVE

US DoI/YVB 2014->
Yap

MFAT 2021->
Timor MFAT 2021->
World Bank/IFC 2016->
L’este
MFAT 2017->
SG/MFAT 2018->

NZ/Cooks Govt 2006; 2012 ->

WB/IFC 2014 > MFAT 2017 ->

MFAT 2021->
MFAT 2017->
 Pacific Tourism Data Initiative
Cook Islands
International Visitors, Business Confidence and Community Attitudes
 IVS
Visitor Survey: Stats,
THREE PILLARS OF A Immig, NTO

DECISION SUPPORT
SYSTEM
DSS
Business Confidence Community
Index/Survey: Awareness/Attitudes
Chamber of Comm., BCI CAS Survey: Village
Sector Orgs, Stats, Councils, NTO
NTO
Cook Islands PTDI Resources

www.nztri.org.nz/cook-islands-resources
1971 - 1,154 / 2019 - 170,600 / Borders Close March 2020
 COOK ISLANDS OVERTOURISM CHALLENGES

Managing growing tourism numbers

Infrastructure and carrying capacity issues

Need for outer island development

Attracting the ‘right’ new investment (local and FDI)

Linking tourism to the local economy

Need for effective evidence based indicators

Cook Islands International Visitor Survey
2012 – 2020
June 2012 – December 2019 Respondents

Total number of e-mails sent: 139,255

CONVERSION RATE OF 24%

Total number of responses: 31,687

6.5% OF ALL VISITORS DURING THE PERIOD

Responses cover a total of

60,267 adults and 9,168 children
 How did you find out about the Cook Islands?
70%

60% Previous visits

Friends/family
50%
Travel agent/agency brochures
Share of visitors (%)

40%
Social media (Facebook, Twitter etc)

30% Travel books (e.g. Lonely Planet)

Magazine and newspaper articles

20%
The official Cook Islands travel website
(cookislands.travel/nz)
10%
General travel websites (e.g. TripAdvisor)

0% Web search engines (e.g. Google)

Note: Multiple responses, therefore total does not add up to 100%

 How did you purchase your travel?
60

50

40 Travel arrangements were made through a travel

Share of visitors (%)

agent
I made my own travel arrangement using the
30 Internet
Travel arrangements were made by others
(business, friends, relatives)
20 Travel arrangements were made by a mixture of
travel agent and online booking
Other
10

0
Per Visit Total Expenditure (Qtr 4 2018/19)
AVERAGE SPEND
BEFORE VISITING
PER PERSON
AVERAGE SPEND
NZ$2,092
WHILE IN THE COOK
ISLANDS
40% FLOWING BACK
PER PERSON
PER DAY
NZ$154
PER PERSON
NZ$837

PER PERSON PER DAY

NZ$259
PER PERSON PER VISIT
NZ$2,069
(2019/20)
 Expenditure (July 2017 - June 2019)
Rarotonga Aitutaki
Average spend per person
prior to arrival $1739 $2861
(flowing back) ($696) ($1144)

Average spend in country $147 $181

per person per day

Average length of
8.1 stay (nights) 10.2
TOTAL SPEND PER VISIT
FLOWING BACK TO LOCAL
ECONOMY $1887 $2990
(prepaid and in country)
 Visitor Spend per visit (NZ$)
$2,500

$2,000
Total Spend

$1,500

In-country spend
$1,000

40% of prepaid expense

$500

$0

40% of prepaid expense Local spend Flowing back to local economy

 Overall Satisfaction
80

70

60
Share of visitors (%)

50

Very dissatisfied
40
2
3
30
4
Very satisfied
20

10

0
 Overall Satisfaction (Satisfied/Very Satisfied)
Country/State Satisfied V. Satisfied Total
Cook Islands 23 70 93
Niue 27 66 93
Yap 33 57 90
Samoa 32 54 86
Vanuatu (1 qtr 2019)
st 34 52 86
PNG 73
Solomon Is 39 28 67
 Share of visitors (%)

0
10
20
30
40
60

50
2012/13
Q1_2013/14
Q2_2013/14
Q3_2013/14
Q4_2013/14
Q1_2014/15
Q2_2014/15
Q3_2014/15
Q4_2014/15
Q1_2015/16
Q2_2015/16
Q3_2015/16
Q4_2015/16
Q1_2016/17
Q2_2016/17
Q3_2016/17
Q4_2016/17
Q1_2017/18
Q2_2017/18
Q3_2017/18
Q4_2017/18
Q1_2018/19
Q2_2018/19
Q3_2018/19
Q4_2018/19
Most Appealing Aspects of Visit

Atmosphere
Local people
Environment

Food and Beverage

Activities, attractions, entertainment and events
 Share of visitors (%)

0
5
10
15
20
25

2012/13
Q1_2013/14
Q2_2013/14
Q3_2013/14
Q4_2013/14
Q1_2014/15
Q2_2014/15
Q3_2014/15
Q4_2014/15
Q1_2015/16
Q2_2015/16
Q3_2015/16
Q4_2015/16
Q1_2016/17
Q2_2016/17
Q3_2016/17
Q4_2016/17
Q1_2017/18
Q2_2017/18
Q3_2017/18
Q4_2017/18
Q1_2018/19
Q2_2018/19
Q3_2018/19
Q4_2018/19
Least Appealing Aspects of Visit

Accommodation
Food and beverage
Public services and facilities

Rubbish and natural environment care

 Least Appealing - Environmental Quality
Country % Visitors
Yap 3
Niue 4
Cook Is. 8
Samoa 11
Vanuatu 15
PNG 18
Solomon Is 35
 Degree of Participation in Activities (Qtr 2 2019/20)
Visiting the beach 97
Swimming 92

WATER-BASED
Snorkelling 82
Lagoon Cruise 50
ACTIVITIES Kayaking
Stand Up Paddle Boarding 24
46

Whale Watching 19
Diving 16
Fishing - Deep Sea 15
Ocean Cruise 5
Fishing - Bonefishing 4
Kitesurfing 4

Local Markets 88
Island Night Feast and Show 54
CULTURAL Island Celebrations or Events 33
Church on Sunday 27
INTERACTION Meal at a Cook Islands Home 22
Dance / Language / Art Classes 15
Tumunu on Atiu 5

Restaurants, Bars and Cafes 98

Sightseeing 79
Vehicle Rental 78
Public Transport 57
LAND-BASED Cultural Events
Treks and Trails 37
51

ACTIVITIES Cultural Tour 25

Cycling 21
4WD Adventures 17
Sporting Events 12

Local Produce e.g Coffee, Coconut Oil etc 70

Local Crafts 63
Local Arts 47
SHOPPING Music
Pearls 31
37

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Share of Visitors (%)
 Satisfaction with Activities
Lagoon Cruise 4.7
Visiting the beach 4.7
WATER-BASED Swimming
Snorkelling
4.6
4.6
ACTIVITIES Kayaking 4.5
Stand Up Paddle Boarding 4.5
Diving 4.2
4.3 Ocean Cruise
Fishing - Deep Sea 3.7
4.1

Kitesurfing 3.5
Fishing - Bonefishing 2.6
Whale Watching 1.8

CULTURAL Island Celebrations or Events 4.7

Meal at a Cook Islands Home 4.7
INTERACTION Church on Sunday 4.7
Island Night Feast and Show 4.6
4.6 Dance / Language / Art Classes 4.6
Local Markets 4.5
Tumunu on Atiu 4.4

4WD Adventures 4.7

Cultural Tour 4.7
LAND-BASED Sightseeing 4.6
Cultural Events 4.6
ACTIVITIES Restaurants, Bars and Cafes 4.5
Sporting Events 4.4
4.5 Cycling
Vehicle Rental
4.4
4.4
Treks and Trails 4.3
Public Transport 4.1

Music 4.4
SHOPPING Local Produce e.g Coffee, Coconut Oil etc
Pearls
4.4
4.4
4.4 Local Crafts
Local Arts
4.3
4.3
1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0
Mean Score
Responding to Over/Undertourism

•Fewer, higher yield visitors

•The benefits of COVID free status

 Cook Islands Visitor Survey

Soft Adventure Market Segmentation - Visitor Characteristics

(2016-2019)
 Soft adventure segmentation (2016-2019)

Number of activities % of Visitors

Fly and flop (FF) 0 to 1 36%

Very soft adventure (VSA) 2-3 37%

Soft adventure (SA) 4-6 22%

Hard adventure (HA) 7+ 5%

Length of stay (nights) (2016-2019)
120
Average Average Average Average
7.7 8.5 9.9 10.3

100
5 6
13 14
9
14
80
20 21
24
28
Percent

60
25
28

40
58
51
20 41 35

0 4 2 1 2
FF VSA SA HA
0-3 nights 4-7 nights 8-10 nights 11-14 nights 15 + nights
Soft adventure visitors spending per visit (2016-2019)
$2,500
$2,304
$2,146 $2,178

$1,969
$2,000

$1,500 $1,420$1,379
$1,353
$1,203
NZ$

$1,000 $885
$766 $793 $799

$500

$0
Prepaid flowing back Spend in country Economic impact
FF VSA SA HA
Overall satisfaction (2016-2019)
120

100

80

63
68
Percent

75 72
60

40

28
20 26 20
20

6 5 5
2 1 3
1 2
0 1 1 1 1
FF VSA SA HA
Very Dissatisfied (1) 2 3 4 Very satisfied (5)
2012 - 2019 trends
45

39 39 39 38
40 38 38
37
36 38 34 35 34 34 37
35

30

25 23 23 23
Percent

22 22
20 20
20

15

10
5 6 6 5
4 3 4
5

0
2012 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19
FF VSA SA HA
Country of origin (2016-2019)
120

1 1 1 1
100 1 1 1
5 7 3
10
8 10
11
80 12 14 13
15
Percent

20
60 23

40
73
66
53 49
20

0
FF VSA SA HA

New Zealand Australia North America Europe Asia Pacific Other

Distribution of age (2016-2019)
120

100 2
9 6 5
9
17
19
80 24 17

24
Percent

60 26 22
27
20
40 20 22
18
17
20 16
13 28
13 17
8
0
FF VSA SA HA
18-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70+
Were you aware of COVID-19 when you booked your visit? (Jan-Mar 2020 IVS)
If Yes, did the lack of COVID-19 cases in the Cook
Islands influence your decision to travel there?

100% 100%

90% 90%

80% 80%
No No
70% 70%
57 64
60% 60%
Percentage

50% 50%

40% 40%

30% 30%
Yes
20% 20% Yes
43
36
10% 10%

0% 0%
Business Confidence Index Survey
 Respondents across seven phases

Phase 9
(2020) –
Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5 Phase 6 Phase 7 Phase 8
estimated
(round 1 (round 2 (round 1 (round 2 (round 1 (round 2 (round 1 (round 2
from
of 2016) of 2016) of 2017) of 2017) of 2018) of 2018) of 2019) of 2019)
ongoing
survey
Number of
responses
128 124 97 106 84 113 68 70 145

Conversion
rate
41% 40% 31% 34% 27% 36% 22% 22% 46%

Had
participated
the survey
37% 58% 57% 58% 52% 68% 73% 51%
previously
 I am confident my business will do well in the coming year
4.2
4.1
4.2
Non-tourism 4.2
3.9
4.1
4.0

4.0
4.4
4.2
Tourism 4.4
4.2
4.2
4.2

3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5
Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5 Phase 6 Phase 7
 How important are the following to the Cook Islands?
4.7
4.6
4.4
Maximising visitor spend 4.6
4.5
4.4
4.4
4.7
4.6
4.5
Increasing tourism awareness within government agencies 4.2
4.3
4.2
4.3
4.5
4.5
4.4
Increasing tourism awareness among local communities 4.3
4.3
4.2
4.4
4.3
4.0
3.7
Maximising visitor numbers 3.7
3.6
3.6
3.3
4.2
4.1
4.0
Increasing networking opportunities for local businesses 4.1
4.1
4.2
4.0

3.2 3.4 3.6 3.8 4.0 4.2 4.4 4.6 4.8

Mean

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5 Phase 6 Phase 7

 COVID-19 related comments_Challenges
Uncertainty around COVID-19 and its impact on the tourism in.
Recouping lost revenue from this year during COVID-19, it has
set the business back 5 years.

Staffing - how we will staff our resorts if borders to overseas

countries don't open?.

Getting back to where it was prior to COVID-19 but with tighter

controls.
 COVID-19 related comments - Opportunities

COVID-19 creates opportunity as people plan for

the future, improved technology (cable), level
playing field for all jurisdictions given travel
restrictions.
Cook Islands being seen as a 'safer' destination
(due to COVID-19 status) may attract more visitors
than has been traditional. Perception of a safe
place for investment.
Cook Islands Community Survey 2:
Tourism Attitudes/Awareness
Approach
• Online data collection for the second CAS was run with the support of
Cook islands Tourism and Telecommunications provider Bluesky. The
survey ran from 9 August to 31 October 2019. 975 responses were
collected. Based on the total population aged over 15 (2016 census) of
13,138 the sample size is estimated to be approximately 7% (NB for
ethical reasons the survey only targeted those aged 18 and over).

• The data is analysed and compared with a focus on the following

variables: (1) Cook Island Maori and Non-Cook Island Maori; (2) Age
groups; (3) Island of residence (Rarotonga and Aitutaki); and (4)
employment type (tourism sector and non-tourism sector).
Do you think that tourism is good for the Cook Islands?
Rarotonga / Aitutaki
120

100 98
92

80
Percentage

60

40

20
3 5 2
0
Yes No Not sure
Rarotonga Aitutaki
Tourism as a source of pride and direct benefit - tourism/non-tourism

I feel proud to live in a place that can attract many 4.4

visitors 4.2

4.2
I benefit directly from tourism
3.0

2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0

Mean rating

Tourism sector Non-tourism sector

Tourism as a source of pride and direct benefit – CI Maori/non CI Maori

I feel proud to live in a place that can attract 4.3

many visitors 4.2

3.4
I benefit directly from tourism
3.9

3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5

Mean rating

CI Maori Non-CI Maori

Tourism and Economic Dimensions
Tourism is good for the Cook Islands economy 4.4

It is a challenge to find long term rentals as property

4.2
owners are opting to rent short term for more money

Tourism creates more jobs for local people 4.1

New foreign owned tourism businesses should be

3.9
restricted

House and rental prices have increased due to tourism 3.8

My standard of living has improved because of tourism 3.6

Everyday life is more expensive because of tourism 3.1

2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5

Mean rating
 3.5
A visitor environment tax should be imposed
3.5

3.4
Our environment is damaged because of tourism
2.7

3.1
The Cook Islands needs more tourists
3.5

3.1
It is overcrowded because of tourism
2.0

Our roads and infrastructure are kept at a higher 3.1

standard because of tourism 3.5

2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0

Mean rating
Rarotonga Aitutaki
Tourism and Cultural Dimensions
Contact with tourists brings opportunities to learn
3.8
from other cultures

Tourism revives culture and/or traditions 3.6

Tourism has made me more aware of the culture and

3.4
traditions of the Cook Islands

I have experienced an increase in crime and bad

2.8
behaviour because of tourism

There is a loss of culture, language and traditions

2.5
because of tourism

2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0

Mean rating
I would like to share my culture and values with tourists
10%

Yes
No

90%
Tourism and information

I feel well informed about tourism 3.8

I would like to have more information about

3.7
tourism

I have opportunities to express my views about

3.5
tourism

3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9

Mean rating
 Themes identified (% of all comments made)
Suggestions on Don't blame
Positive Negative Neutral Appreciation of
tourism tourism or
comments comments comments being asked
development tourists

68% 41% 38% 2% 2% 2%

Suggestions on tourism development

Negative comments
Marketing 16%
Infrastructure improvement 15% Tourists’ behaviours and numbers 34%
Positive comments
Government strategies and regulations 13% Well done tourism 27% Environment impacts 19%
Sustainable tourism development 12% Positive economic impacts 19% Social issues 8%
Balance culture and economic benefits 11% Being proud of CI 19% Local people’ attitude and services 7%
Education referring to tourism 10% Tourists’ positive impacts 13% Economic impacts 7%
Tourists education 5% Good willing to contribute 8% Cultural impacts 5%
More opportunities & priorities for locals 5% Positive environment impacts 6%
More events or activities 3% Political issues %and regulations 5%
Positive cultural impacts 4%
More training for local businesses 3% General concerns 3%
Infrastructure development 1%
More connections 2% Housing and renting 2%
Accommodation related regulations 2% Infrastructure 2%
Foreigners (worker and owner) 2% Stop over-developing tourism 1%
More opportunities for outer islands 2%
Positive comments
Tourism not only changes peoples lives it also gives
opportunity to those who are in need. So I may say
tourism is a part of our day lives whether we are in
business industry or not. Because from nothing to
something that’s all thanks to tourism.

Tourism helps some of us keep our islands clean

because we want to make a good impression on
others about our home.
Negative comments
Tourism numbers are too high and now have an
overall negative impact on the country.

Tourism has increased social inequality, loss of

culture and environmental destruction- this needs
to be brought under control. Meitaki.

The substantial cost of long term renting is another

issue due to tourists staying in Raro.
Suggestions on tourism development:
Tourism is good to a limit but must be controlled
to a point that is sustainable.

Balance growth of Tourism with Environment

and retention of traditional practices to avoid
exploitation
 Each diagram has nine possible scenarios,
represented as numbers, that are used to assess
each indictor. There are:
1. On track and continues to improve.
2. On track, however there are signs of regression.
3. On track, and no changes since the previous
year.
4. Of concern, however there are signs of
1 2 3
improvement.
5. Of concern, and regressing. Requires attention.
6. Of concern, and no change since the previous
year.
4 5 6 7. Off track, data suggests an improvement.
8. Off track and continues to regress.
9. Off track and there has been no change since the
previous year.

7 8 9
Note: Based on National Sustainable Development Plan 2016 - 2020
Meitaki Ma’ata/Thank You!
Simon Milne
Email: simon.milne@aut.ac.nz
http://www.nztri.org/