Kiribati participated in the recent South Pacific Tourism Exchange (SPTE); its first international travel trade show since reopening. Represented by Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) Senior Tourism Officer Marketing, Sarah Teetu, and Air Kiribati Head of Commercial, Mr. Flavio Carvalho, the event was held from 12 – 13 May 2023 at the Air Force Museum in Christchurch New Zealand and provided the ideal platform to create awareness on the destination, post COVID-19.
More than 40 travel wholesalers and media partners from Australia, New Zealand, USA, Asia, and Europe along with 60 destination and product representatives from across the Pacific engaged in scheduled one-on-one meetings over the 2 days.
As an emerging travel destination, TAK and Air Kiribati used the opportunity to strengthen awareness of the destination at the event. Market updates included the recent reopening of the world-class-fishing destination Kiritimati and the new Air Kiribati Service between Brisbane, Tarawa, and Kiritimati.
Attending for the first time, Mr. Carvalho commended the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) and Maori Tourism for the successful event. The same sentiments were echoed my Ms. Teetu who was delighted to reconnect with travel trade and industry partners again after COVID-19 lockdown.
