11 Aug 2004

Niue faces shortage of accommodation facilities after Cyclone Heta

11:18 am on 11 August 2004

Niue's director of tourism says there is a shortage of guest accommodation.

Ida Talagi-Hekesi says since Cyclone Heta struck in January, the island has had only one resort.

And she says that has had a very high occupancy rate.

"The accommodation properties that we have on the island, the smaller accommodation, is pretty much 100 percent occupancy. We are having a few problems. We've had to turn away some of the bookings that we've had from our travel agents overseas. So until such time as rebuilding starts for accommodation properties, we're a bit tight on accommodation at the moment.23"

Ida Talagi-Hekesi says the number one attraction for Niue is their clear waters around the island.

She says their main tourist markets are from New Zealand, Australia, America and Europe.