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Kiribati prepares to participate in the 5th China International Import Expo (CIIE) 2022

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Kiribati has been invited an opportunity by China to participate in the 5th China International Import Expo (CIIE) that will be scheduled to take place in Shanghai China from November 5th to 10th 2022.

In line with the participation, the GOK Ministry of Tourism, Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives (MTCIC) held its first meeting with key stakeholders on the 27th May 2022 to discuss preparations for Kiribati’s participation in CIIE.  Kiribati Fish Ltd (KFL), Kiribati Coconut Development Ltd (KCDL) and Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK), were among the key trade stakeholders present during the first prep meeting.

The CIIE Expo is held annually in China with this year’s theme, “New Era, Shared Future.”  China has also been kind enough to offer Kiribati 2 free booths (each 9 square meters) that will facilitate multiple stakeholder participation from Kiribati.  This also includes the provision of a digital pavilion platform where Kiribati will be able to display videos, imagery and information to promote trade, Investment promotion, tourism, cultural exchange and open cooperation between China and Kiribati

The participation of Kiribati in CIIE is expected to further boost sustainable, healthy, stable economic trade relations between China and Kiribati, and also offer a potential opportunity for more visitors worldwide to get a unique, charming impression and cultural experience of Kiribati.

Tabiteuea South Outer Island Perceptions (OIPS) Survey Report

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TAK has released the Tabiteuea South (Tab South) OIPS report which contains interesting information and data on how the people of Tab South feel about tourism.

The data was collected through a series of face to face interviews with the locals of Tab South in November 2021. The respondents’ ages ranged from 22 -67 years with a gender split of 70% female and 30% male. 20 individuals were interviewed.

The survey measured income from tourism products sold as well as tourism activities and attractions that the people felt were available to visitors.

This report hopes to expose any gaps in the tourism sector on Tab South and identify pathways for TAK, the Island Council and the communities to work together to bridge these gaps and present Tab South to the rest of the world as a truly unique tourism destination.

The survey targets all outer islands except Tarawa and Kiritimati which are considered the ‘urban’ centres of Kiribati. This is the 8th report of its kind and the survey results are shared first with the respective Full Council meeting before it is circulated to other stakeholders and the general public.

Kiribati receives support for Climate Resilience

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Communities in Kiribati will receive support for climate resilience as part of a new $20 million climate change adaptation project.

The World Bank has approved the Kiribati Outer Islands Resilience and Adaptation Project to work with 20 of Kiribati’s Island councils together with three urban councils across Tarawa to invest in community-level climate resilience measures that will directly support 14,000 people equivalent to 12% of the country’s population.

These measures include providing communities with improved access to fresh water, drainage improvements, coastal protection, upgrades to buildings and critical facilities as well as maintenance equipment and climate-resilient solutions for flooding.

The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) sees great potential that this project will provide to the outer islands in terms of provision of a more conducive environment for tourism investment opportunities. TAK will be guided by its Kiribati Sustainable Tourism Development Policy Framework to work and support island communities in sustainable tourism development and shaping their tourism initiatives to be more climate resilient.

 

 

Kiribati Sport Fishing Club May Competition

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The Kiribati Sport Fishing Club hosted its first fishing competition for 2022 on Saturday 14th of May with weigh in at the Horizon Cafe in Takoronga.

18 teams attended the May competition including Takgee, Delish fish, Whiskey, Heineken, King fisher, 2 APS, Lady Mary, Nei Boiboi, Teribauati, Otimeta, Blue bite, Salap, Jowi and Brandy. Each team had 3 to 7 anglers per team to register per boat.

The weigh in at the Horizon Café attracted local residents, media representatives and the members of the Kiribati sport fishing community that were keen to witness the catches. The Horizon café proudly sponsored the event and prizes were issued based on different categories such as weight, quantity and fish types such as Yellowfin tuna, Barracuda, Wahoo, Marlin, and Dog Tooth.

Team Jowi was awarded the winning team for the highest total species weight category whilst the winner for the highest number of tuna caught was awared to team Teribauati.  The Honorable Minister of Ministry of Environment and Agricultural Development (MELAD), Honourable Ruateki Tekaiara had the honor to present the prices to the winning teams.

The Kiribati Sport Fishing competition is a monthly event and attracts fishing enthusiasts and anglers, both men and women.  Sponsors have already been secured for the June and July independence competitions and look forward with anticipation to the catches during the weigh in events.

TAK officially adopted to new Ministry

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) was officially adopted by its new Ministry the Ministry of Tourism, Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives during a banquet celebration which took place on Tuesday, 10 May at Tenimanraoi Maneaba, Betio.

Hosted by the Honourable Minister Bootii Nauan, the event was attended by His Excellency, Te Beretitenti Taneti Maamau and First Lady Maamau, Government Ministers, Heads of Diplomatic Missions, Unimwane and Unaine of Betio, CEO’s and Board Chairmans and staff of the MTCIC. The celebration included a traditional blessings from te Unimwane of Betio; the official handing over from the former Honorable Minister of Ministry of Information, Communications, Transport (MICT) and the welcome of TAK team by the Honorable Minister, MTCIC.

In his remarks, Hon Minister Nauan acknowledged TAK and the authority’s mandate to improving the livelihood of local people through income generation. He also reminded TAK of their supporting role to achieve the goals of the Kiribati Government Motinnano. Minister Nauan also expressed his appreciation to TAK’s former Ministry and looks forward to supporting TAK achieve its KV20 goals.

TAK was established on 10 June 2019 under the Tourism Act 2018 and currently employs 19 staffs with offices stationed in Tarawa and Kiritimati Island.

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.

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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