Cover Story
And There's Hope at Last for the Tourism Industry
Aircalin's new aircraft to boost visitor numbers
Having reached a record high in 2000, tourist figures 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 over the past few years. The most recent to depart was French airline, AOM, which left last March along with its direct route between Noumea and Los Angeles, depriving the country of 6000 potential American tourists.
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Aircalin, the country's international airline, lost a lot of potential too, as it had flown on a code-share basis with AOM between Noumea and Los Angeles. Without the direct link, the North America market is no longer a priority. New Caledonia abandoned significant promotional development once the link was lost, and is concentrating on the Japanese market instead.
The promotional arrangements for the tourism sector in New Caledonia are somewhat unusual. Rather than joining forces to promote a single destination, each province is in charge of its own promotion. The Northern Province is concentrating on developing ecotourism, and has a considerable selection of rural and traditional homestays and camping grounds offering visitors outdoor activities, traditional meals and a genuine cultural experience.
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The Loyalty Islands, famous for their friendly inhabitants and unspoilt beaches, are a popular destination for French tourists.
In the Southern Province, rural towns have developed successful farmstay operations, and a number of big hotel construction projects are rumoured in Noumea.
The good news after last year's disappointing results is Aircalin¹s 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. The former will replace the Airbus A310 that Aircalin is currently leasing on the Osaka, Sydney and Papeete routes. The latter will take over the Noumea-Tokyo route, currently operated by Air France.
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 grow leading to the creation of over 100 jobs. The company expects its volume of activity and turnover to multiply threefolds 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."
Plans to replace its Boeing 737 with an A320 Airbus are programmed for 2004. The company last month began flying code share with Air New Zealand between Noumea and Auckland.
