Tourism
New Caledonia Changes Focus
The U.S. Is Out As A Market For New Caledonia Tourism.
Having reached a record high in 2000, New Caledonia visitor arrivals dropped by 8.3 percent last year, down to 100,000. Japanese tourists made up the majority, followed closely by French visitors and, further back in third place, Australians. The decline was mainly due to a shortage of airline services between New Caledonia and France, and the economic recession in Japan.
For a number of years the country has been struggling to establish and maintain international airline services but a succession of airlines have come and gone. The most recent to depart was French airline AOM, which left last March along with its direct route between Noumea and Los Angeles, cutting off New Caledonia’s only direct route to the United States.
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Aircalin, the country’s international airline, lost a lot of potential too as it had code-share seats with AOM between Noumea and Los Angeles. Without the direct link, the American market is no longer a priority. New Caledonia abandoned significant promotional development once the link was lost and is concentrating its means on the Japanese market instead.
The good news after last year’s disappointing results is Aircalin’s long awaited purchase of two new aircraft. The deal has been officially signed and two Airbus A330s will be delivered at the end of the year. The first will start operating in January next year and the second in March.
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Initially Air France was to pull out in October this year but it has postponed its departure until the new planes start operating. Although Air France will stop flying to New Caledonia, it is not entirely leaving as it will be code-sharing flights on the Noumea-Tokyo route with Aircalin, says Jean-Michel Masson, Aircalin chief executive officer. It will also market the Paris-Noumea route in France.
With the arrival of the new aircraft the entire structure of the company will add another 100 jobs. The company expects its volume of activity and turnover to multiply threefold in the first three years of activity. But it will take more than the planes to improve the tourism sector, Masson says. “Aircalin’s Airbuses are not a magic wand which can solve all the tourism sector’s problems. But they will help facilitate the industry’s development.”
