Cook Islands Finance Minister Heads China Visit

Finance minister Mark Brown will head a Cook Islands delegation that leaves this morning to China, to attend a culture and tourism festival.

Brown leads the 15 strong delegation that will include Ministry of Culture Secretary Anthony Turua, as well as representatives from BTIB and Tourism and a small drum and dance group. The six-day journey to Chinese cities Zhuhai and Shenzhen will feature culture displays from the dance team and meetings with dignitaries for the officials.

“There are a couple of performances, and there are also some high level meetings with the leaders of Zhuhai. I think the purpose of the trip is really a culture exchange,” Turua said.

“And secondly it is to develop any projects that Zhuhai can assist with. We are actually going to the council, not the national Chinese government, so I want to talk with them about some of my strategies.”

Turua sees the way that the Chinese market and celebrate their culture as something the Cook Islands can aspire to.

“For the exhibitions, we will be working with Tourism on our art and art forms. (Looking at) how we can go there and share our performing art, in the hope that tourists will see that and want to come to the Cook Islands.” The primary role for Tourism, Turua says, is to promote the destination. BTIB will focus on investments, while Brown will act as a facilitator in supporting group’s objectives.

Originally scheduled to take place in October, the trip was postponed due to a typhoon in the Zhuhai area.

(Source: Cook Islands News Local 08 December 2017)