The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) community-based tourism product development on Butaritari island is continuing following the recent 10 days programme carried out by TAK’s Tourism Officer, Product Development Kiarake Karuaki in August 2022.
Ms. Karuaki’s recent activities involved engagement with participating communities to improve their business initiatives and service offering. To achieve this, communities participated in revenue management, customer service, Mauri Mark standards, market analysis, niche tourism products, marketing and promotions training.
Communities engaged in this product development programme includes Keuea village, Tanimaiaki village, Antekana, Ukiangang, Bikati and Sunset Isles lodge, a local accommodation provider.
Butaritari is known as the most fertile agricultural island in Kiribati and played a strategic role in the Pacific campaign of WWll. The community-based tourism products developed under this program therefore focuses on niche experiences such as WWll battlefield tours, traditional culinary experience with farm to table and reef to fork concepts, Marine Protected Areas (MPA) and conservation guided tours, mangrove forest and farming tours.
The program concluded with a trial of each product which reaffirmed to participating communities the need for a whole of island approach to tourism development on Butaritari and that service providers plays an important role in elevating visitor experiences on the island.
TAK will conduct the remaining preparatory work for the Butaritari community-based tourism development and officially launch the products for sale in November 2022.
