Cook Islands emerge as new Aussie tourist hotspot five hours from Sydney, Brisbane

News.com.au

4 days ago

There is a new tropical destination Aussies are adding to their holiday lists.
In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, located about halfway between Australia and Hawaii, is the Cook Islands.
Locals have described Rarotonga (the largest of the 15 islands that make up the nation) as 'what Hawaii was 50 years ago', while others say it's a great alternative to Bali and Fiji without the crowds. If you ask Flight Centre Travel Group's leisure CEO James Kavanagh, the Cook Islands is the new Tahiti.
The travel giant's leisure bookings to the emerging holiday hotspot jumped 28 per cent in the first half of the year, compared to the same period a year ago.
'We've seen a significant increase in Australians heading to the Cook Islands, which is often described as a more wallet friendly, closer to home alternative to Tahiti,' Mr Kavanagh said.
'The Cook Islands is the perfect holiday destination that has enough activities to keep the whole family entertained, but is just quiet enough for couples seeking a slow and restful retreat.'
Last week, Jetstar announced it would launch direct flights from Brisbane to Rarotonga for the first time next year.
The announcement follows the huge success of Jetstar's Sydney route, which launched in 2023 and marked the first Aussie airline to fly direct to the island nation in more than 30 years. Even before the first direct flight took off, Jetstar added an extra service to its schedule due to high demand at the time. Prior to 2023, Aussies would have to fly to the Cook Islands via New Zealand.
'There's no doubt that with extra flights, we'll see even more Aussies – especially Queenslanders – taking advantage of better prices and better connectivity to the island,' Mr Kavanagh said.
'At the moment, with layovers, travellers heading from Brisbane to the Cook Islands are looking at spending anywhere from nine to 20 hours in transit. Now, it'll only take five hours — perfect for a weekend getaway.'
Jetstar has seen the most interest from couples and families, but also older travellers.
While Rarotonga is most popular for family holidays, couples often head on to the second-most populated island, Aitutaki, which is still only home to about 1800 people and about a 50-minute flight away.
The peak period for Aussies heading to the Cook Islands is May to October, but the airline said it had seen strong forward bookings across all seasons.
'We've seen incredible demand for our Cook Islands flights since day one,' Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully told news.com.au.
'Warm weather, a quiet island vibe, great food and welcoming locals have made the Cook Islands one of Australia's favourite island escapes, with flights filling quickly since launch.'
From May next year, there will be four weekly services from Sydney and three weekly services from Brisbane. There will be 110,000 seats each year to and from the Cook Islands, which will be Jetstar's highest-ever capacity to the destination.
The cheapest fares currently on sale start at $279 for a one way flight from Sydney to Rarotonga.
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown said tourism was 'the backbone' of the nation's economy — about 75 per cent of the country's GDP.
On announcement of the new direct Brisbane-Rarotonga flights, Mr Brown said Cook Islanders were 'always ready to welcome Australian visitors with open arms and warm smiles'.
'The Cook Islands is the ultimate tropical island destination, renowned for some of the world's most incredible crystal-clear waters, with Aitutaki lagoon recognised as one of the most beautiful in the world,' he said.
'The people of the Cook Islands, their culture and the many activities on offer are a drawcard for Australians.'
Australian flight engine Webjet told news.com.au there had been a 7 per cent increase in searches for flights from Australia to the Cook Islands since February last year for travel this year, compared to the same period the year before. Actual bookings increased 1 per cent.