ITB Berlin News 2018 - Review Edition

OCEANIA
AROUND THE WORLD 35
Water Sports and Nature Preservation
at Heart of New Caledonia Tourism
Promotion at ITB Berlin
New Caledonia Tourism, in
partnership with Aircalin, Noumea
Discovery Travel Company and
Noumea Travel Specialist, were
present at ITB Berlin under the
flag of the South Pacific Tourism
Organisation, and on Stand N°
104 in the “South Pacific Village”
attractions and new tourism
initiatives in 2018. New Caledonian
tourism is continuing its growth,
and from 2013 has produced a
steady increase in tourist traffic year
after year.
From January to October 2017
the destination welcomed 95,456
tourists (including total of 33,059
from Europe) and were due to
easily exceed the annual objective
of 119,000. This is without counting
the 493,278 cruise passengers who
visited in 2017. This positive trend
was confirmed with a 4.1% increase
in numbers in 2017 compared to
2016 and 5.3% compared to 2015
(recorded from January to October),
mainly due to increases coming
from the destination’s neighbouring
countries: Australia, Japan, New
Zealand and the other Oceanian
islands. This French archipelago in
the Pacific, located 17,000kms from
Europe, has many attractions up its
sleeve to appeal to tourists, most
notably the second largest coral
Barrier Reef in the world, together
with its UNESCO World Heritage
listed lagoons which have been
registered since 2008. A convincing
argument for lovers of both water
sports and the preservation of
nature, which NCT intends to
highlight by celebrating in suitable
style this 10-year anniversary of the
World Heritage listing.
Indeed, this is the major theme
in 2018 tourist promotions, with
various events linked to it. At the
same time, as this anniversary,
and following on from a year
focused on culture and gastronomy
which featured most notably the
B2C “Sounds of New Caledonia”
campaign with the video being
nominated at the Golden City Gate
in the Tourism Multimedia Awards
category, NCT is launching a new
multi-channel and multi-market
New Caledonia @ ITB Berlin 2018
B2C marketing campaign around
the concept of “the country of
increased reality” enabling the
visitor to “Move out of the dream
and into reality”
Papua
New
Guinea
NEW TOUR FOR
TEMPORARY ROBINSON
CRUSOES – ADVENTURE
HOLIDAY ON KABAKON
ISLAND
For the first time in 2018, the
Australian based company
“Oceania Expeditions” offers
an adventure experience on a
remote island off the coast of
East New Britain, a province of
Papua New Guinea.. Guests who
book the “Kabakon Survivor”, will
spend four days on a south sea
island during which they cater for
themselves. Kabakon Island lies in
the Bismarck Archipelago, a short
boat ride from Kokopo and Rabaul
in East New Britain. It’s uninhabited
yet fertile, used by the villagers on
next-door Karawara Island as their
garden isle. Here, papaya, banana
and pineapple grow in abundance,
taro and tapioca thrive under
groves of coconut palms, and the
surrounding seas swarm with a
rich harvest of seafood. After a first
comfortable night at Kokopo Beach
Bungalows, participants leave
the western civilisation behind
and set off to live four days in
bungalows with thatched roofs and
spectacular views on the ocean.
Visiting villagers from Karawara
will teach them the skills they need
to “survive” – from learning to
hunt lobster, to paddling outrigger
canoes to reach the local fishing
grounds. Learn from the village
women how to cook in a ground
oven, how to de-husk coconuts
and make your own coconut milk,
and discover where the scrub fowls
nest to harvest their eggs. Local
children will teach guests to weave
mats and hats that they can take
with them, while songs and stories
from the elders will help them
understand the customs and lores
of the local people.
NEW ADVENTURE
PRODUCT OFFERING
IN MILNE BAY, PNG
PNG Trekking Adventures is
offering a new tour in the surrounds
of Alotau, Milne Bay, one of the
most beautiful areas of Papua New
Guinea. This trekking and paddling
expedition is raw and out there.
Very few tourists have walked
nor have they paddled here. The
exploration of this trekking/
kayaking corridor was only carried
out in October 2014.
Papua New Guinea @ ITB Berlin 2018
ITB BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 21 st March 2018