Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) Tourism Officer Product Development Ms Kiarake Karuaki participated in the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme short course on “Enhancing sustainability by linking culture, nature and community through tourism”, organised by the Islamic Tourism Centre.
The course is based on Malaysian best practices and approaches on community-based tourism (CBT). It highlights the importance of linking culture, nature, and community as a CBT product, homestay program and rural development, innovative approaches to wildlife tourism and conservation, integrating marine conservation and tourism, empowering local communities through cultural tourism, culture and heritage preservation and restoration through responsible tourism.
The short course has provided Ms. Karuaki with a better insight on CBT development which contribute more to building capacity and experience for tourism product development. Learning about homestay program and how it is encouraged and implemented successfully by the Malaysian local communities was a key highlight of this course.
Key lessons attained during from the course will play an important role on how TAK can encourage and develop the homestay experience with the local island communities engaged in such a niche market.
Ms. Karuaki is playing a crucial role in developing community-based tourism products on the islands of Abemama, Nonouti, Maiana and Butaritari.
Congratulations Ms Karuaki
Being one of the few Malaysians that has stayed in Kiribati for almost a year, I hope more Malaysians will make their way to Kiribati in the near future.
Looking forward to return back soon in October 2022.
Johary Rejab
Ko rabwa (thank you) Johary. We look forward to welcoming you back soon.