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Cook Islands Economy
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Cook Islands Economy The Cook Islands has a fragile economy with imports outweighing exports by more than ten times. Without the continued aid program from New Zealand (worth around NZ$15 million a year), the Cook Islands would quickly be bankrupt. The main problem for the economy is high transportation costs, followed by a lethargic population who seem more than happy to rely on handouts from relatives living in New Zealand. Another problem has been that many of the best islanders go overseas to earn their living but, with time, a reversal in lifestyle attitudes might change this. Tourism is by far the main foreign exchange earner generated by the 60,000 or so tourist arrivals each year. An estimated 80% of the GDP is generated through tourism and services. Other services include the dubious industry of offshore banking, but continued pressure from Australia and New Zealand along with a recent tightening in international money laundering may see an end of this lucrative business for the Cook Islands Black pearls and fruit exports (mostly pawpaw) are the only other major source of income for the islands although revenue from the sale of fishing rights (mostly Tuna) is being promoted to the international market. Several cottage industries are doing well including coconut perfumes and soaps, and the rapidly growing export of Noni juice used as an all round medicinal remedy. Most trade, both imports and exports, is with New Zealand. Subsistence farming is dominant on the outer islands but on Rarotonga the fertile land is under-utilised. Most locals have access to a family plantations which produce the backbone of local diet. Rarotongan taro, the staple root crop, is of high quality and grows in the low-lying swamps whilst pigs and cows help keep the weeds at bay in the family plantations and are killed for large feasts and family get togethers. Unfortunately, most of what is consumed in every day life comes from tins and packets, with diabetes and obesity a regional concern. Book your Holiday with the Specialists:  South Pacific Holidays & Resorts ; Beautiful Cook Islands Holidays & Resorts fiji resorts & holidays ; samoa resort & holidays ; tonga resort & holidays ; tahiti resort & holidays ; vanuatu resorts & holidays ; new caledonia resort & holidays ; australia resort & holidays |
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This Accommodation Guide is brought to you by South Pacific Pictures, the photographic division of Pacific Travel Guides. This leading independent travel publisher is based in Fiji and aims to provide unbiased travel information to help potential holiday-makers plan their trip to the South Pacific. We do not sell individual hotels, tours or packages - we simply provide an overview to help you make the decision and provide links for you to make further enquiries and bookings. All the pictures in this website have been taken by us and try to show a true representation of our destinations. No picture has been staged - all were taken as presented. Our energetic team of researchers and photographers travel around the south pacific on a regular basis to update our guides and to ensure their accuracy. Please feel free to contribute your own travel experiences to pass on to fellow travellers. If you haven't been able to find what you're looking for in our website, you might want to try South Pacific Travel Guides - the regions most comprehensive travel guide for the islands: Fiji Travel ; Cook Islands Travel ; Samoa Travel ; Tonga Travel ; Tahiti Travel ; Hawaii Travel ; Oahu Travel ; Kauai Travel ; Maui Travel ; Big Island Hawaii Travel Alternatively, if you're simply after accommodation, search South Pacific Resorts the largest directory of hotels in the South Pacific with thousands of unique photographs, location maps and unbiased write ups: Cook Islands Resorts ; Fiji Resorts ; Samoa Resorts ; Tonga Resorts ; Tahiti Resorts ; Vanuatu Resorts ; New Caledonia Resorts ; Hawaii Resorts. Beautiful Holidays - specialist travel agent based in Australia offering personalized booking assistance South Pacific Travel Resources - selection of accredited website links Last Updated by  Pacific Travel Guides PO Box 10146, Nadi Airport, Fiji Contact Us |
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