Coral class SOUTH PACIFIC


White-sand beaches, oceans shimmering with the hues of coloured fish, and five- star resorts. What’s not to like about the


South Pacific Islands? BY ANNA SELBY


18 September 2010 • www.sellinglonghaul.com T


he South Pacific is a long way to go on a jet plane, but for an exotic beach destination it is hard to beat.


The beaches are white-coral sand,


the water is clear and teeming with fish and coral, there are top-class resorts in abundance and – with the exception of French Polynesia – everyone speaks English. They even drive on the left! Increasingly popular for weddings and


honeymoons, the islands are also an easy flight from Australia and New Zealand and some are stopovers on the


way there from the UK, making them ideal as two-centre destinations. Fiji and French Polynesia, particularly


Tahiti, which is linked to both Paris and Los Angeles by Air Tahiti Nui, are by far the most developed for tourism. However, smaller island groups including the Cook Islands, Samoa and Tonga have excellent resorts and hotels, too. The climate is warm year-round, as is


the water, making this is an ideal place to dive and snorkel around the world- class coral and tropical fish. The cultural traditions are strong in all the islands, and available for discovery


for those willing to get off the beaten track – though in Samoa and Tonga there aren’t too many beaten tracks to get off on! The South Pacific enjoys longstanding


strong links with the UK. Fiji receives around 50,000 British visitors every year and even for the tiny Cook Islands (population 18,000!) UK visitors now represent some 39 per cent of all its European visitor arrivals. Your clients will never be short of


entertainment in the South Pacific. Recommend they try just about any evening show on any island – they’ll end


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