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For nearly a year and a half after the onset of the pandemic, the Cook Islands didn't see a single tourist. In early 2020, the south Pacific country was forced to close its borders to keep Covid-19 out. In doing so, it shut the doors on an industry that contributes two-thirds of the remote island country's GDP.B
Lives were upended, hotels were shut down and the government was forced to borrow tens of millions of dollars to keep the economy afloat. Local people left in droves to find work in New Zealand's South Island That all changed in May, 2021 when a "travel bubble" was established with New Zealand. Within weeks, thousands of sun-starved New Zealanders had booked tickets to escape the southern hemisphere winter and indulge in a luxury that few can experience these days: a tropical holiday on a lush island that has never recorded a single Covid-19 case.
Once again, Rarotonga the most populous island in the Cook archipelago - was buzzing. Markets were alive and bustling, restaurants were booked solid, rental cars and scooters became a hot commodity, and guided snorkel tours were quickly sold out While the outside world is beginning to grapple with the fourth wave and the Delta variant, in the Cook Islands the pandemic is often referred to in the past tense. Money has begun flowing into people's pockets and into the treasury. But not everybody is feeling the euphoria.
"During Covid, I thought we were very blessed," says Alex King, a photographer. "People within our community started to grow food again, spending more quality time with their families, and we experienced the ultimate kindness within our own people.
trying to help one another out during a financially tough time for so many.
It was a profound shift for the Cook Islands, which had recently reaped the benefits of an unprecedented multi-year economic boom culminating in a record number of arrivals in 2019. The country's population is 17,500 but, that year, it welcomed nearly
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172,000 visitors a 37% increase from half a decade earlier. Over the course of a decade, GDP per capita doubled to just over NZ$30,000."As someone who has worked in the tourism industry for years, it is not hard to understand why it has played such a dominant role in our lives." says King. "But over the past few years, I've seen exactly the impact of this industry on our environment.our culture and our community.has been neglected for the sake of economic growth. We do get it that tourism brings in the much-needed dollars. But at what price?" she asks.
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Florence Syme-Buchanan, leader of a citizen action group and a journalist, says Rarotonga's environment Demand among New Zealand travellers since the opening of two-way quarantine-free travel in May exceeded expectations. Too many visitors and too fast, says Syme-Buchanan. "Before, we locals were marvelling at how wonderful it was to have our island back, despite many of us losing income from tourist related activities," she says.
"We talk amongst ourselves about how tourism has gone right back to what it was, uncontrolled and that constant push for more and more. I really fear for our island because it is undergoing critical environmental damage from which it may never heal."Calls for government to put the brakes on the industry go back to at least the early 90s, when the Cook Islands welcomed just 35,000 tourists a year. In 2017, the opposition MP Selina Napa called on the government to cap arrival numbers while upgrades were made to Rarotonga's roads, waste collection and sewer systems.
Despite receiving strong opposition from government and industry circles at the time, she says her stance on the matter hasn't changed. We are a small island nation and the only real resource we have are our beautiful islands, which the tourists are
here to enjoy.Born and raised in Rarotonga. Nana Short set up a small spa on the shores of Muri Lagoon in 2018 while tourism was flourishing. When the borders closed, she saw nearly her entire customer base evaporate. To make up for the loss in income, she took up a job delivering vegetables. "I really wasn't fussed," she says. "When the pandemic hit, my mind just went back to those old times, when everybody was free and there wasn't this rush to go here or there or get things done.Reflecting on tourism's steep climb since her childhood days on Rarotonga. Alex King says the country is lucky to have a thriving industry, but a lack of oversight by successive governments has the potential to cause critical damage to the environment.
This industry is a double-edged sword," she says.
1) Why were there no tourists at all in the Cook Islands for nearly a year and a half?A.Because of the tourist ban imposed by the local people.
B. Because the island was deserted.
C. Because the borders were closed due to the pandemic.D. Because they were pleased to be on their own.
How many cases of Covid-19 have there been in the Cook Islands?
2). Thousands of people A
B. Hundreds of people
D. two-thirds of the island population
C. None
) Why did some people feel very pleased during the pandemic?3
A.Because they began to grow food again, spend more time with their families and help each other out.
B.Because the outside world is beginning to grapple with the fourth wave and the Delta variant.
C.D.Because not everybody is feeling the euphoria.Because money has begun flowing into people's pockets and into the treasury.