Cook Islands a hot tourist spot with trash problems.
With their sandy white beaches, clear lagoons and low-lying coral atolls, the islands are certainly a tourist s paradise. And the statistics are there to prove it. According to the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation, approximately 72,900 tourists visited the islands in 2000, a record high, compared with 55,600 visitors in the previous year. Rather impressive numbers considering the country s overall population is under 14,000 with half that number living on the main island of Rarotonga. The increase in tourism has been a major boost for the economy, but it has also produced some negative side effects, including a significant increase in disposable solid waste.