Little control over visitors

Visitors’ raiding our lagoons has become an issue of late. But with hindsight locals now wonder if the Asian visitor who stayed a year in Aitutaki was up to the same tricks as the couple at the Raina units? Over and above the poaching aspect, surely visitors need visas to stay so long? Tourism has become so focused on raising visitor numbers they don’t seem to recognise that those who stay such long periods have set up residency. And there appears to be little control over them. It’s time to shore up our ‘leaky’ borders.

Visitors’ raiding our lagoons has become an issue of late. But with hindsight locals now wonder if the Asian visitor who stayed a year in Aitutaki was up to the same tricks as the couple at the Raina units? Over and above the poaching aspect, surely visitors need visas to stay so long? Tourism has become so focused on raising visitor numbers they don’t seem to recognise that those who stay such long periods have set up residency. And there appears to be little control over them. It’s time to shore up our ‘leaky’ borders.