By Steve Burke
WASHINGTON, DC —(Pinkston News Service)—If traveling to exotic and remote places of the world is your jam, then you soon might have another place to add to your travel bucket list. The Administrator of Pitcairn Islands, a remote British overseas territory in the South Pacific, said that the Island will begin accepting cruise ships again, beginning March 31st. And while COVID-19 ravaged much of the world during the past two years, Pitcairn hasn’t recorded a single confirmed case of the virus since the start of the pandemic.
A tropical paradise located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Pitcairn Islands is equidistant (3,000 miles each way) from New Zealand and Chile. The home to about 50 people, Pitcairn is just 2 miles long and one mile wide. In addition to Administrator Mark Tomlinson, a police officer, school teacher, doctor and social worker make up Pitcairn’s professional services. The only Island access is a two week boat journey from New Zealand.
On a recent episode (watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oZxys7flUM) of the Coffee with Closers podcast, Tomlinson discussed his day to day responsibilities as Administrator, the trajectory of his professional career as a British Foreign Service Officer, daily life on Pitcairn, the challenging but critical mission to get vaccines to the Island and why tourism is so vital to the local economy.
“Tourism is basically the mainstay of the Island, apart from British government funding that comes through this space for a few jobs. Tourism is what they depend on, really. And, there’s not really any notable exports, with the exception of a bit of honey and a few other things, but it’s mainly tourism they rely on. Of course, that’s dried up completely, which has economically been really tough for the Island. So, people are really motivated by that. Once we get the boosters and people have had a chance to get vaccinated and the boosters, the next question is what more can we do? The Island either stays closed forever or we go for it. So that’s what the local council decided recently, to allow cruise ships to come back and we are timing that for March 31st. But then we’ve got to see if any cruise ships do come back.“
“We are excited to once again share our warm hospitality, unique culture, and pristine land and sea environments with those lucky few who will have the opportunity to visit in 2022,” said Pitcairn Islands Tourism Travel Coordinator Heather Menzies in a news release. The MV Silver Supporter, a working cargo ship, will operate direct services between Tauranga, New Zealand and Pitcairn for visitors from April 3rd 2022. “We hope to resume regular passenger services between French Polynesia and Pitcairn later in the year,” said Menzies.
The inhabitants of the Island are descendants from the mutineers of the British Naval small merchant vessel, the HMS Bounty and their Tahitian companions. The mutiny on the Bounty, which is one of the most famous and remarkable events in maritime history, has resulted in three highly successful movies based on the incident which began on April 28, 1789.
Steve Burke is Editor-in-Chief of Pinkston News Service in Washington, D.C.
Source: https://pinkstonnews.com/
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