Tourism Authority Kiribati

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Taare Rikiai

Preparatory work on Safe Tourism Restart continues

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) conducted a two-days training on Kiribati Tourism & Hospitality Protocols for the New Normal to staffs of the George Hotel, Betio on 03 – 04 May 2022.

This training is a follow up to the first round of COVID-19 tourism protocol trainings delivered to South Tarawa tourism operators  in June 2021 and is based on the recommendations of the protocol compliance monitoring and evaluation assessment carried out in January 2022 .

The George Hotel session covered all aspect of the Kiribati Tourism & Hospitality Protocols to the New Normal and these include COVID-19 safety protocols for transport, hotel & accommodation, restaurant & bars, employees’ safety, and waste disposal.

TAK believes that the training would prepare tourism services operators such as the George Hotel for a safe international border reopening to Kiribati.

TAK will continue to deliver COVID-19 protocol training for tourism sector partners across the destination with the goal of achieving a 100% compliance to the protocols. This is part of the Authority’s preparation for a safe, smart, and sustainable restart to tourism in Kiribati.

TAK begins development of Mauri Way Programme

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Mauri is Kiribati for hello. As a greeting word, Mauri  can also be adjusted to suit the situation such as Kam na bane ni Mauri, Ko Na Mauri, Mauri riki or the more casual and loud Mauri Mauri! However it is called out, Mauri epitomises the essence of the traditional Kiribati hospitality and when expressed, represents a feeling of genuine welcome, care and an assurance of safety to the person it is being expressed to.

To this effect, the Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) is pleased to announce that it has officially commenced work on the development of the Kiribati Mauri Way Customer Service Programme in partnership with the Aotearoa New Zealand Volunteer Services Abroad (VSA).

The Mauri Way will be the Kiribati Tourism and Hospitality Customer Service guide that embraces the Kiribati style of hospitality and culture, and rooted in the traditional blessings of Te Mauri, Te Raoi and Te Tabomoa.

Through this collaboration with VSA, TAK has engaged customer service experts Ms. Anna Stevens and Mr Dominick William Valentine Coppinger to guide TAK on the development of the program and implement a comprehensive industry wide Mauri Way customer service training. This will be complimented with an online customer service training portal to be accessible to all tourism and hospitality business operators across Kiribati.

Once completed and implemented, the Mauri Way program has the potential the improve the quality of tourism and hospitality customer service delivery in Kiribati and will prepare the destination for an exciting restart to tourism when its international borders reopen.

Congratulations Air Kiribati

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) Board of Directors, Management and staff congratulates the national airline, Air Kiribati Limited (AKL) on the occasion of its 27th Year Anniversary.

Aviation is the backbone to Kiribati’s tourism industry and TAK is recognises the valuable role that AKL plays in connecting travellers to our idyllic islands across the Gilbert group and the Line group.

TAK also celebrates the 80,000 flights that Air Kiribati has operated and the more than half a million people the airline has served over the 27 years.

Since its inception in 1995, Air Kiribati operated many different aircraft within its fleet, aircraft like the ATR 72, CASA C212, BN-2A(Islander), Harbin Y12, DHC-6 and DHC-8 have all been part of Air Kiribati family.

Looking forward, TAK is excited about the future of Air Kiribati and the role that it will continue to play in enabling the sustainable development and growth of tourism in Kiribati.

Kiritimati Island Reopens to Domestic Travel

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The Government of Kiribati through the Ministry of Line & Phoenix Islands Development (MLPID) declared that Kiritimati Island domestic border is now reopenedThis is following the island’s complete lockdown in mid-January 2022 when Kiribati’s first COVID-19 community transmission case was recorded in the country’s capital, Tarawa.

To accommodate the COVID-19 domestic travel requirements,  Minister MLPID, Honourable Mikarite Temari announced that the new Senior Secondary School on the island will be used as a temporary quarantine center. He added the construction for the new and permanent quarantine center will commence soon and scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.

Kiritimati Island welcomed its first domestic charter flight from Tarawa under this new arrangement on Sunday 10 April 2022 and visitors included medical personnel, teachers, visitors and returning residents.

All passengers a 7 days compulsory quarantine at the centre and were allowed to continue with there travel in Kiritimati following negative COVID-10 test.

International travel into Kiribati for tourism is currently closed. Full details of the country’s COVID-19 situation are available on www.covid19.gov.ki

Mauri Mark Accreditation Assessment continues

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) continued the roll out of the Mauri Mark Program with the assessment of accommodation operators in North Tarawa and Abaiang earlier in month.

The Mauri Mark Program is Kiribati’s National Tourism Standards Programme for accommodation and tourism enterprises including restaurants and bars, tourism leisure crafts, dive operators.

The Mauri Mark program for accommodation providers uses a points system to accesses each establishment on its hospitality business operations, fire safety measures, health and hygiene, room facilities, support services and sustainability practices.

Once assessed, properties are then awarded coconut ratings of between 1 to 3plus coconuts, with 3plus rating reserved for hotels that score 95% and above.

North Tarawa hotels and resorts assessed in this round of Mauri Mark assessments included Nemat resort, Tarabuka hideaway, Ocean view hotel, Bikenaraara resort, Tabuki retreat, Tabontekeekee eco-lodge, and Kelani lodge.

On the island of Abaiang, accommodation providers assessed were the Ocean breeze bungalow, Terau beach bungalow, Te runga n aine guesthouse and the KiriSwiss homestay.

TAK is finalising the assessments results and ratings will be advised to them in May 2022.

The Mauri Mark program is part of TAK Tourism Restart Program which aims to prepare the destination for a Safe, Smart and Sustainable Restart to Tourism once its international borders reopen.

Tourism Awareness & Appreciation Program continues in Kiritimati

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) conducted its tourism awareness outreach programme for Kiritimati Island Years 6 and 9 students on 03 April 2022.

This initiative is part the TAK’s Training and Development Division’s function to strengthen awareness and nurture appreciation for tourism and its importance amongst our children.

The five (5) schools that participated in this program were Tennessee, Tabwakeauea, Golf Port, Poland Primary School, and Kiritimati junior secondary school.

TAK extended this program through roadshows and in local communities.

Kiritimati is COVID-19 free, and its awareness program is part of TAK’s tourism restart program and preparing the islands for a safe start to tourism when Kiribati’s international borders reopen.

TAK Celebrates World Earth Day 2022

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Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) celebrated World Earth Day, with a beach clean-up at the Betio end of Dai Nippon causeway on Friday 22 April 2022 and joined the Ministry of Environment, Land and Agricultural Development (MELAD) and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) on a beach clean-up campaign at the Kabutikeke on Saturday 23 April 2022.

The theme of World Earth Day 2022 was ‘Invest in our planet’ and activities conducted on the day focused on raising awareness on the vital need to protect Kiribati from pollution and environmental degradation caused my humans.

TAK recognises that a safe and clean environment is important to Kiribati’s vision for a sustainable tourism restart and actively engages and supports initiatives that addresses this vision.

Makin Outer Island Perceptions (OIPS) Survey Report

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) has completed its report on the Makin Outer Island Perception Survey (OPIS).

The OIPS is conducted by TAK across all the Gilbert outer islands and in Teraina (Washington Island) and Tabuaeran (Fanning Island) to gauge islander’s perceptions on tourism.

Data for this survey was collected through a series of face-to-face interviews with residents of Makin Island. Questions in the survey include income earned through tourism, participants understanding of the impact of tourism on the islands and their recommendations of how tourism development can benefit them.

This report informs TAK on the gaps in the tourism sector on Makin and identifies pathways for TAK, the Makin Island Council, communities and stakeholders to work together to bridge these gaps and present Makin for what it truly represents both culturally and naturally.

The survey was based on a 10% sample size of the islands population and respondents’ ages ranged from 20-78 years with a gender split of 49% female and 51% male.

TAK will complete the OIPS for remaining islands in this current quarter.

Abemama trials Community Tourism Product

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) conducted a final preparatory trial and familiarization of the Abemama Community & Island Tourism package from 19 March to 06 April 2022.

The development of niche tourism products on the island includes a combination of community-based tourism, cultural tourism, marine tourism and agritourism experiences across 4 island communities and supported by local accommodation providers and the Abemama Island Council. This project aims to use tourism as a means for island communities to address food security challenges caused by global warming and climate change.

The 5 days itinerary trial based on a sustainable tourism model on traditional and cultural practices including a traditional culinary experience focused on a farm to table and reef to fork experience concept, Marine Protected Areas tours and community and island guided tours with storytelling.

This familiarization trial will assist communities recognise the need for the whole of island approach toward tourism and other service providers that play an important role to visitor experiences. Mr Willie Itaaka from Reina village stated how the familiarization have given them confident to perform and deliver expected standard community tour experiences.

Active ecotourism communities of Reina, Baretoa, and Ainen Wiikin Abemama were also trained on revenue management areas, tourism business fundamentals, and Covid-19 tourism and hospitality protocols for health safety measurement before the opening of the boarders.

It is with anticipation that this one-week training would guide these communities in improving their business initiatives and services in maximizing and managing their revenue, compliance to the Mauri Mark standards, human resource development initiatives, customer service, market analysis, and marketing and promotions of their tourism products and services.

The training concluded with the installation of a traveller information kiosk at the airstrip terminal on the islands.

The trip was supported by the Food Security Project, commonly known as the LDCF-1 which is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the UNDP and managed by the Environment and Conservation Division (ECD) under the MELAD.

Abemama Ecotourism Communities Prepare for Tourism Restart

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) carried out the Tourism Restart program to Abemama Ecotourism communities as part of the preparation for a safe, secure and sustainable border reopening on the island of Abemama.

The program consists of a week training to active ecotourism communities of Reina, Baretoa community, and Ainen Wiikin Abemama on areas of Revenue management and Tourism business fundamentals. The overall objective of this one-week training is to guide these communities to improve their business initiatives and service offering through understanding of how to maximise and manage their revenue, compliance to Mauri mark standards, human resource development initiatives, customer service, market analysis and marketing and promotions of their tourism products and services.

TAK also had the opportunity to train these communities on the Covid-19 tourism and hospitality protocols to ensure health safety measures are practiced when the border opens.

The training was supported by the Kiribati LDCF-1 Project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented under the Environment and Conservation Division (ECD) with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The Tourism Authority of Kiribati is responsible for working with our partners to encourage travelers to come to Kiribati and spend time exploring our country.

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