Photos courtesy Cook Islands Tourism Corporation.
The national tourism organisation is developing a set of training modules that will form the basis of the Kia Orana Plus program. The modules will be released in the form of short online videos, to encourage remote training and allow the industry to train staff on site.
"This training will help the people of the Cook Islands remain vigilant, and help maintain our COVID-free status" said Cook Islands Tourism CEO, Halatoa Fua. "Kia Orana Plus will help the tourism industry to implement the new Cook Islands Promise, which is a joint commitment between our international visitors and us, the host community, to keep everyone safe from COVID-19."
The training will reinforce for the tourism industry the importance of practices like pragmatic physical distancing, maintaining good hygiene and continued disinfection, while not forgetting the importance of good customer service.
The Kia Orana Plus program will be available first off as a 'train the trainer' to a select number of tourism operators and trainers before it is rolled out to the wider community.
Number 1 in South Pacific
Earlier this year the Cook Islands were voted the number one island in the South Pacific – including Australia and New Zealand – by the readers of Travel + Leisure Magazine.
Each year, as part of the World's Best Awards, Travel + Leisure asks readers to rate islands based on activities, sights, natural attractions, beaches, food, friendliness, and overall value.
The Cook Islands, a South Pacific nation made up of 15 islands and populated by just over 17,000 people, is located in the same time zone as Hawaii and borders French Polynesia. The country, which markets itself as "a little paradise," has been described by avid travellers as Hawaii 50 years ago, before traffic and high rises, except there are modern amenities such as luxury spas and fine-dining restaurants. The Cook Islands boasts landscapes described by many travel writers as among the most beautiful in the world.
Kia orāna is a greeting in the Cook Islands Māori language, which translates to, "may you live long." It is an apt representation of the Cook Islands culture, which encompasses a deeply embedded sense of hospitality as well as more vibrant elements, such as impressive dancing and drumming.
Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards have been announced every August since 1995. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the contest, which hinges on a survey that asks readers to indicate which airlines, airports, car rental agencies, cities, cruise lines, spas, hotels, islands, and tour operators they prefer. Research consultants collaborate with the magazine's editors to design questions that are statistically sound and responses are screened for fraudulent votes.