MAHI TAAPOI

Sustainable Tourism Development

 
 

The Tourism Master Plan Implementation Assistance Programme (TMPIAP) was designed to help promote sustainable tourism development in the Cook Islands by assisting with the implementation of the 1991 national Tourism Master Plan.  It involved inputs from both the Cook Islands and New Zealand governments, the tourism industry, village communities, and individuals.  The New Zealand contribution of $3.3 million to the programme was funded through New Zealand Official Development Assistance.  The Programme ran between March 1994 and June 1998.

The TMPIAP was prompted by the recognition by both governments that support for the implementation of the Master Plan was an opportunity to develop a coherent, planned approach to development assistance to tourism.  The setting up of a long term programme was also seen as a mechanism to improve the efficiency with which assistance was delivered.

The TMPIAP supported a wide range of tourism-related activities.  These included planning, development of amenities, tourism business development, quality assurance, publications, market research, curriculum development, environmental studies, and support for marketing.  While the Programme did not fund primary infrastructure, such as accommodation, it sought to help develop the private sector and support local initiatives.  The infrastructure projects that were supported, like the development of the Punanganui Market on Rarotonga, and the rebuilding of the Aitutaki Airport terminal all involved local participation.  With the downsizing of the Public Service in the Cook Islands in 1996, the shift to working with the tourism industry, NGOs, and village communities intensified.

Based initially on projects and themes identified in the 1991 Tourism Master Plan, the Programme evolved within a framework set by:

  1. Bulletthe Master Plan,

  2. Bulletthe subsequent Task Force reports for Aitutaki and Rarotonga, and

  3. Bulletthe guidelines of NZODA.

A wide range of projects were added to the initial set derived from the Master Plan (many of which were drastically changed in scope and cost during the consultation which led to the TMPIAP – often reducing the fees allocated to consultants). Core assumptions on which the 1991 Master Plan was based were also all invalidated by events or initiatives after the Master Plan was prepared, including assumptions about:

  1. Bulletthe involvement of Government especially in regulating the industry;

  2. Bulletinfrastructure development (like the completion of the hotel at Vaimaanga still not done to this day); and

  3. Bulletthe continuity of airline services.

The Programme was administered through a Joint Management Group of Cook Islands and New Zealand government representatives and a specially appointed reference group drawn from a range of stakeholders in the tourism industry.  Local committees were also established on each of the Southern Group Islands to provide inputs of local expertise and knowledge and to co-ordinate some local activities. The TMPIAP was managed by Peter as NZODA’s Management Services Consultant.

Despite the extensive range of projects undertaken, funding for marketing made up 39% of the final budget. The heavy preponderance of funding for marketing reflects the injection of an extra $500,000 into Tourism Cook Islands’ marketing budget in 1996/97 following a special request from the Cook Islands Government.  It was originally intended that marketing funds would make up only 23% of the original Programme budget of $2.78 million.

An assessment of the Tourism Master Plan Outcomes was undertaken in November 1997.  The main conclusions of this review were:

  1. Bulletimplementation has only been partial;

  2. Bulleta major contributing factor in a number of areas where little progress has been made may have been a cultural mismatch between the recommended approach and methods and the appropriate processes and cultural values of the Cook Islands;

  3. Bulletalternative approaches involving a mixture of high level assessment and “bottom-up” implementation used by the TMPIAP potentially offer a more creative and collaborative approach to resolving outstanding issues and project development;

  4. Bulletsignificant progress has been made in a number of areas targeted by the Tourism Master Plan, including some specific environmental issues, accreditation, information, awareness, amenities, training in schools, publications, and small business development;

  5. Bulletthe TMPIAP is now targeting a number of key areas including the preparation of a strategic market plan, an economic analysis of the impact of tourism, and a corporate plan for Tourism Cook Islands;

  6. Bulletgiven the evolving state of the industry at the policy and strategic level and in terms of its development on the various islands of the Cook Islands, there is still a significant agenda in terms of tourism development activities;

  7. Bulletthe particular characteristics of the tourism industry in the Cook Islands (including its small size and composition), and the dependence of the economy on tourism, require a collaborative approach to tourism development by all the various stakeholders, and appropriate investments by the various parties; and

  8. Bulletthere is still an urgent need to develop a mechanism whereby actions across the spectrum can be focussed to deliver an agreed strategic intent for the industry. All the various stakeholders, which at one level means everyone, need to understand where they can contribute: from not dropping litter, through providing local goods and services, to building design which evokes Polynesia, and the way the locals interact with the visitors. The first task in this process is to agree on a strategic intent.


At one level the whole philosophy of the Master Plan was inconsistent with the conditions and culture of the Cook Islands.  The budget, for instance, allocated $3.5 million to a new building for the Tourist Authority - more than was available for the TMPIAP over four years!  [Click here for the full review].

The approach adopted in the TMPIAP fostered tourism based on the nature, culture and people of the Cook Islands.  This provided the platform for the subsequent development of a national geotourism strategy.

Cook Islands Tourism Master Plan Implementation