Cook Islands replaces Hills Balfour with McCluskey International for UK tourism brief

Incumbent agency Hills Balfour repitched for the South Pacific islands' account, alongside Representation Plus and The Sandra Leach Company.

According to CEO for Cook Islands Tourist Corporation, Carmel Beattie, McCluskey International won the account due to its strong presence in the travel trade and its creativity as an agency.

Beattie added: ‘Tourism in the Cook Islands accounts for over 75% of GDP and is therefore the chief economic driver for the country. The destination marketing of the Cook Islands is managed by the Statutory Authority of the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation, but the PR is outsourced in our key markets such as the UK.’

McCluskey’s brief includes increasing the destination’s overall appeal and increasing the number of UK visitors to Cook Islands.  

The account will be led by account director Andy Price, with the agency implementing trade and consumer comms to increase awareness of the Cook Islands.

McCluskey will also train and educate tour operators about the holiday destination and capitalise on the region's association with rugby, tying in with the Sevens in Heaven tournament.

This article was first published on prweek.com