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Remengesau says reality TV paying off for Palau
Palau president Tommy Remengesau says business is booming in his home republic, thanks to the hit reality television show "Survivor: Palau". He told KUAM News, "It has meant a world of promotions for Palau."
The Republic of Palau has always been known for it's natural beauty and as one of the world's most popular diving spots, but for those who didn't know about this tropical paradise, the word is now out. And all thanks to the huge CBS show, and the phenomenon that is the reality TV model.
President Remengesau says the number of people visiting the government's web site has jumped from only a few thousand hits to at much as 3,000,000 a month. "I might add its not just a promotion for Palau but for the Micronesia region," he said, "and we're now getting tourists to Palau simply because they watched Survivor. But I think the exposure has certainly worked wonders for Palau."
Not only has the exposure from survivor caught the world's attention and spread awareness about this treasure in the Pacific, the filming of the program itself was a much-needed cash infusion into the local economy. Explained Remengesau, "Actually they contributed a bit to the economy, they hired over 300 local boys and women, they rented boats, all in all we expect, we believe they spent more than $5,000,000 in the local economy during the filming."
If Survivor wasn't enough, President Remengesau adds more television projects are on the horizon, saying "the good news is the European survival series now we are negotiating with them for the next years of shooting."
You can watch "Survivor: Palau" on KUAM-TV11 Thursdays at 8pm.
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