The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) through the support of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI) is pleased to confirm the appointment of an international and local Technical Assistant (TA) to review and develop the organization’s 2023 – 2025 Strategic Plan.
Ms. Jennifer Bartlett is a sustainable tourism and inclusive economic development specialist whose experience spans 30 years and as many countries. She has worked on a wide range of tourism projects in the Pacific Islands during this time, in her capacity as IFC’s Tourism Program Coordinator then Manager for several years, and as a consultant to government, development partners, and private sector clients.
Most recently she has worked for the Asian Development Bank, World Bank Group, Sustainable Travel International, Business Link Pacific, Akina Foundation, and Strongim Bisnis on Pacific region-wide studies and technical assistance projects for Fiji, PNG, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Palau, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, and Niue.
The local expert, Mr. Tearinaki Tanielu is an international development professional with substantive experience in foreign policy, public policy, and strategic planning working with an extensive network of national, bilateral, and multilateral development organizations. He has held senior management and advisor roles within the Government of Kiribati, the Australian High Commission in Kiribati, and the United Nations Headquarters in New York. He also served as a Consultant to the International Seabed Authority in Jamaica, leading the review of capacity development initiatives for Least Developed Countries and Small Islands Developing States.
Mr. Tanielu’s recent technical assistance projects include the review and development of the Kiribati Foreign Policy 2023, the Kiribati National Disability Policy and Action Plan 2022-2025, and the Voluntary National Report of Kiribati for the Global Mid-Term Review of the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. He is a keen advocate for community development and has co-founded a number of CSOs focused on youth and women empowerment, the promotion of human rights, and the reduction of inequalities in Kiribati.
Through this engagement, Ms. Bartlet and Mr. Tanielu will also review the Ministry of Tourism, Commerce, Industry, and Cooperatives (MTCIC) draft Strategic Plan to ensure that the TAK Strategic Plan is aligned with that of its Ministry.
So, many good things happening for tourism in Kiribati, but when are you going bring the Kiritimati airport up to standard so the Fiji Air can start flying there again???