Director of Destination Development Metua Vaiimene says the corporation is working with its partners in the industry and the community to develop new marine eco-tourism experiences and to enhance established ones.
A recent example, he says, is the collaboration between Cook Islands Tourism, Aitutaki Island Government and the Ministry of Marine Resources to conduct a feasibility study for a lagoonarium facility for Aitutaki Lagoon.
She says this facility could double as a visitor activity and a community research facility.
The most successful example of the work that corporation has done in developing blue eco-tourism is the bone-fishing industry in Aitutaki.
Bonefishing is a type of sport fishing where anglers seek to catch one certain type of fish, called a bonefish. The bonefish is known for the challenges involved in finding, hooking and landing it. The legal and scientific framework for the industry was established by the Ministry of Marine Resources with a Lagoon Management Plan and eco-tourism strategy.
The Ministry also provided training for the Bonefishing guides to establish businesses on the island, says Vaiimene.
Cook Islands Tourism has worked with these guides to promote their products and services and to promote the experience of Aitutaki as a holiday destination. These combined efforts have led to a thriving bonefishing industry on Aitutaki. Vaiimene says it is the role of the wider community, and Government regulators along with Cook Islands Tourism to nurture and protect the environment that ultimately ensures the sustainability of blue eco-tourism activities.
At the regional level, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) held a conference to mark the Blue Days Project aimed at strengthening marine ecotourism in the Pacific islands region. The conference, held in Tahiti, ended last Friday.
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