Cupid will be soaking up the sub-tropical climate of the Cook Islands this Valentine’s Day.

The day of love is anticipated to give businesses in the country a much-needed reprieve from the slow tourism season with people purchasing special gifts for their loved ones, Resort Tava’e manager Charles Muriwai said.

The Aitutaki resort is offering a 50 per cent discount on direct bookings to celebrate the day, while Rarotonga’s The Bond Store is sending out cupid to give away chocolates around Rarotonga and

Island Craft is taking orders for its range of gift baskets.

Muriwai said a standard room at the resort will be available for $262.50 per night while a beachfront room will cost $412.50 per night between February 1 and March 29, 2024.

“That’s a lot longer than the usual Valentine’s Day period, but people don’t always get a chance to take time off work on the day,” he said.

“We want to bring more people to Aitutaki, and give the opportunity to locals to have a taste of the new resort.

“We don’t want to just target tourists, this is for everybody.”

Muriwai said the resort – which he described as the “new kid on the block”, opening in 2023 – offers guests complimentary airport transfers, unlimited Wi-Fi, 24-hour concierge service, and a complimentary fruit basket upon arrival.

The Bond Store sales and marketing manager Donye Numa said the liquor store will be running a promotion where people can snap a photograph of the Bond Cupid, post it to social media with the business tagged, and go into the draw to win a gift basket.

“It’s quite quiet around the island at the moment, so we thought we’d send cupid on the road to spread some love for Valentine’s Day,” Numa said.

“Look out for our Bond Cupid, have a laugh, and take a photo.”

The prize winner will receive bubbles, chocolates, and flowers to share with a significant other or enjoy as a single person.

“We’ve never done something for Valentine’s Day before, but there’s always something going on at the Bond Store,” Numa said.

“The lead-up to Valentine’s Day is always quite busy. It’s nice to see people coming in to buy a gift for their love ones.”

Aitutaki’s Resort Tava’e is offering a standard room for $262.50 per night while a beachfront room will cost $412.50 per night between February 1 and March 29, 2024. 24020868

Island Craft director Fletcher Melvin said staff would be spending nearly 30 hours compiling orders in preparation for Valentine’s Day, the gift retailer’s second-busiest holiday of the year. The biggest is Mother’s Day.

Melvin said the retailer’s florist department usually has two staff – but to keep up with the demand of Valentine’s Day, eight people from other sections of the business had been pulled in to make gift baskets.

“On the day, we work from early morning to six o’clock at night.”

Meanwhile, the Perfumes of Rarotonga branch would be offering discounts at clothing store Identity Cook Islands (id.CK) and its fudge shop at Cook’s Corner.

Melvin said demand was “slightly up from last year”, with orders also coming from New Zealand and Australia.

“People are ordering earlier, which makes for better planning for the day.

“Traditionally, men are expected to buy for their ladies – but we’re seeing more women buying gifts.”