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TAK Releases Kiribati Tourism Review Report 2021

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) has released the Kiribati Tourism Review Report 2021.

The report is an annual analysis of the Kiribati tourism sector and aims to equip readers with latest developments in Kiribati tourism over the past 12 months. This is the third report of its kind following the Kiribati Tourism Review 2020 and 2019 reports.

The Kiribati Tourism Review Report 2021 brings together data from various sources of information and TAK wishes to acknowledge the contributions of the Ministry of Health & Medical Services; Air Kiribati Limited; Marine Guard; Immigration department; Kiribati Customs and the tourism operators and accommodations that supplied data for the purpose of this report.

The report noted that without international tourism, domestic travel grew in 2021 with inter island travel registering a 43% increase. Domestic air travel however dropped by 35%, mostly due to the fleet limitations with the nation’s domestic carrier, Air Kiribati.

2021 also recorded 43% growth in the number of rooms and  a  47% increase in beds available across Kiribati .

Tourism employment however registered 23% drop for the year.

CLICK HERE to download a copy of the report.

 

 

TAK Welcomes Queen’s Baton

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) yesterday welcomed the 2022 Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton at the Takoronga World War ll gun site in Betio, South Tarawa.

As a build up to the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, the games organisers have staged  the 16th official Queen’s Baton Relay which will see the Queen’s Baton on an epic journey across all 72 nations of the Commonwealth, including Kiribati. The relay began on 07 October 2021 with Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth ll placing her message to the Commonwealth in the Baton which will be read out at the Birmingham 2022 opening ceremony.

TAK is privileged to have been part of this global event and joins the rest of Kiribati and the Pacific in celebrating the hope, solidarity and collaboration fostered by the Queen’s Baton Relay. TAK hopes that such an event will help connect communities across the Pacific as we embrace our unique cultures and share our inspirational stories in what has been a challenging year in travel and tourism.

Receiving the Baton at the Battle of Tarawa WWll site in Betio is also significant for TAK as it is an important part of  Kiribati’s history and the Kiribati visitor experience.

TAK acknowledges the Kiribati National Olympic Committee (KNOC) for including tourism in Kiribati leg of the Queen’s Baton Relay and wishes all athletes and officials the very best at the Birmingham games.

 

 

Kiritimati Island conducts COVID19 Lockdown Drill

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The island of Kiritimati (Christmas) in the Line group conducted a COVID-19 lockdown drill on Thursday 24 February 2022 to test the islander’s readiness should they register a confirmed case of COVID-19.

Kiritimati and its neighbouring inhabited islands of Teraina (Washington) and Tabuaeran (Fanning) island are currently COVID-19 free and had enforced restrictions to domestic inbound travel into the group since COVID-19 broke out in the country’s capital in South Tarawa.

The island is also Kiribati’s leisure tourism hub, renown as a world-class fly-fishing destination and a thriving bird wildlife sanctuary.

The simulation exercise was coordinated by the Kiritimati COVID19 Task Force committee which initiated the mock lockdown based on the scenario that a positive case was confirmed in London Village.

The exercise included a declaration of public emergency on Thursday 24th of February 2022, the activation of the island’s siren for residents to remain indoors and closure of businesses, radio announcement and information dissemination via the island’s COVID-19 Facebook page. The exercise lasted 3 day.

Health and national security officials and representatives from the Ministry of Line & Phoenix Islands Development were mobilized to manage the exercise over the 3 days of trial lockdown.

During this time, the local hospital remained opened but with restrictions to visitors, operating hours for all shops were limited and a mandatory public mask mandate throughout the island was activated.

 

Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) Tourism Officer Tiuti Biribo says “the public and businesses operators we very cooperative and took the exercise seriously”. He added that this allowed for the successful management of Kiritimati’s first every trial run with a confirmed case of COVID-19 community transmission.

The Task force was chaired and led by the Minister of the Line & Phoenix islands, Honourable Mikarite Temari and included Secretary, Mr Natario Kiaiti and representatives from local government agencies, private sector and faith-based organisations.

 

TAK Officers complete Destination Resilience Training 

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Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) Senior Tourism Officer Research & Statistics Mr, Nemani Tebana and Product Development Officer Ms. Kiarake Karuaki participated in the “Enhancing Climate Resilience in Tourism in the Pacific” training from 24 January – 18 February 2022

The 4-weeks online training program was delivered under the Project for Capacity Building on Climate Resilience in the Pacific at the Pacific Climate Change Centre (CBCRP-PCCC) in partnership with the Government of Samoa, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in collaboration with the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO).

The aims of the training program were to enhance the understanding of risks of climate change impacts on the tourism sector; to enhance the understanding of tangible options and actions of the tourism sector to respond to the impacts of climate change; to present good practices of case studies and projects on resilient and low carbon operation of tourism sector implemented in the Pacific; and to develop skills to prepare logical frameworks to support implementation of recovery plans.

The training has provided the two officers with practical knowledge on the development of logical frameworks related to mitigation and/or adaptation activities for tourism. Mr Tebana and Ms Karuaki will also use their new skills in the development and implementation of the Kiribati Sustainable Tourism Policy and Strategy 2022 – 2025.

TAK Awards Hotel Mauri Mark Certification

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) began the Mauri Mark Standards assessment of South Tarawa accommodation providers in January 2022.

The Mauri Mark is part of TAK’s Tourism Restart Program and involves the assessment of licensed accommodation providers. The assessment criteria for Kiribati hotels and lodges include business operations, fire safety procedures, health & safety hygiene standards, facilities including in-room facilities, environmental sustainability practices and guest support services.

In its first set of assessment, TAK assessed The George Hotel, Mary’s Motel and Utirerei Hotel in January prior to the COVID-19 lockdown. With the easing of domestic restrictions, TAK has now continued the process by awarding these properties with their Mauri Mark Coconut rating certificates on Friday 25 February and Monday 28 February 2022.

In presenting the certificates, TAK Manager Product Development, Mr. Iataake King says that “this Mauri Mark certification program is an improvement from the original hotel rating system and will serve as a service and sustainability guide for travellers booking accommodation in Kiribati”.

King further stated that hotel operators can display their certificates on site and use the accreditation as a marketing tool. Most importantly, visitors to Kiribati can now have an idea of the quality of services they can expect from hotels when booking accommodation.

TAK will continue accommodation assessment as domestic travel restrictions begin to ease and aims to complete and issue Mauri Mark rating certificates by the end of the first quarter of the year.

Kiribati Tourism Optimistic of a Safe Restart

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) is optimistic of a safe restart to tourism for the destination following a continued high daily recovery rate from COVID-19 since 09 February 2022, 20 days after the first cases were recorded in Kiribati. .

As of 27 February 2022, Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) updates through the Office of Te Beretitenti (OB) indicated a 70% recovery rate with an average daily total of 13 cases per day over the last 7 days.  

TAK believes that Kiribati’s 98% first dose and 60% second dose vaccination rate,  Government’s COVID-19 safety protocols and public control measures such as the current mandatory lockdown from 7pm to 6am daily have all helped bring daily infection rates down and recoveries high.

TAK further acknowledges frontline medical officials, support staff, national security personnel and development partners in their tireless efforts to manage and contain the COVID-19 cases to its current levels.

As the world begins to open their borders and destinations to international tourism, TAK is optimistic that given the encouraging statistics from national health authorities, Kiribati will be ready for a safe restart to tourism once Government agrees to reopen its borders.

To prepare for a safe, smart, and sustainable restart to tourism, TAK had conducted COVID-19 safety protocols training for all tourism accommodation operators in 2021 and initiated the Mauri Mark Accommodation Accreditation program form January 2022.

TAK conduct Tourism Restart training in Teraina Island

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) conducted its Tourism Restart Training and Awareness Program on Teraina (Washington) Island in the Line Group  in February 2022.

To prepare hotel operators for the new normal in tourism, TAK conducted the Tourism & Hospitality Protocols for the new normal/ COVID-19 Safety Protocols  for accommodation providers on 14 -15 February at the island Council Maneaba in Teraina.

TAK also collaborated with Teraina accommodation providers and conducted a Mauri Mark assessment of their facilities based on fire safety procedure, health hygiene standards, safety & maintenance, facilities and in room amenities, environmental sustainability practices and guest support service.

The assessments highlighted areas in which the accommodation providers will  need to improve their basics service offering and TAK will guide them through that improvement process.

Whilst in Teraina, TAK also conducted a Tourism Business Inventory Survey (TBIS). Through this activity, TAK collects and updates database on the number of accommodations available, number of beds, staff training needs, services, facilities, and contact information. The survey also included the updating of TAK images of the various properties for promotional purposes.

Kiribati Tourism Industry Review Q4 2021 Report

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) has released the Kiribati Tourism Industry Review for the fourth quarter of 2021.

The report brings together data from various sources of information and TAK wishes to acknowledge the contributions of Air Kiribati Limited; the Marine Guard; Immigration Department and the tourism operators and accommodation providers that supplied data for the purpose of this report.

Domestic travel increased in Q4, 2021 with marine travel registering a 75% increase and air travel increasing by 38%. This was attributed to the school holidays and festive season travel.

Employment in the tourism industry grew by 5% compared to the previous quarter whilst room and bed numbers increased by 9% and 7% respectively compared to Q3 2021.

Other tourism related data are also presented in the report including tourism employment by gender, most visited outer islands, and international repatriation for Q3 2021.

Please CLICK HERE for a copy of the report.

Kiribati in PATA & BBC News Micronesia Destination Insight Series

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In 2020, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in partnership with BBC Global News launched the Destination Insight Series in response to the outbreak of COVID-19.  The webinar series takes a close look at various destinations around the Asia Pacific region and examines how they have been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and preparing towards recovery. The panel discussion will provide a 360° perspective of each destinations’ on-ground activities and preparations from operations to marketing and communications.

On Thursday 27 January 2022, the series explored the warmth of Micronesia specifically  focused on Kiribati, Palau & Guam. Participants to this session included travel trade and tour operators from around the world.

In their introduction to the session, PATA highlighted that Micronesia is a spellbinding world abounding with warm caressing breezes, captivatingly rich culture and exotic adventure all dancing around in unison under the thick golden rays of an arching tropical sun. The mysterious, the magical and the modern sides of life all lie within easy reach for the welcomed visitor, just like a swollen ripe mango dropping from a mango tree into a waiting hand.

Together with Guam, Micronesia comprises of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Kiribati and Palau, with each different island chain offering a unique and unforgettable experience.

Through this session, Hon. Ngirai Tmetuchl Minister of Human Resource, Culture & Tourism Development, Palau and Mr. Gerald Perez of Guam Visitors Bureau and TAK CEO, Petero Manufolau agreed on the need for a unified regional approach to marketing Micronesia as a destination in itself.’

The recorded version of the session is available on YouTube

TAK attends ADB Healthy Oceans Tech & Finance Forum

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) participated in the Sustainable Coastal & Marine Tourism – Changing the Tide on Sustainability panel discussion at the recent Asia Development Bank (ADB) Healthy Oceans Tech & Finance Virtual Forum on Wednesday 26 January 2022.

TAK CEO, Petero Manufolau joined sustainable tourism experts from the Asia Pacific region in a panel discussion that aimed to understand the relationship between different levels of the sustainable tourism product and its – positive and negative – impact on marine and coastal resources.

The panel also discussed the right enabling environment, regulations, awareness and behaviour required for a sustainable tourism system to be able to contribute to healthy oceans. The session also touched on the priority interventions (investment) to be applied to create a more sustainable & marine tourism ecosystem post COVID-19.

In his presentation, TAK CEO used the opportunity to share Kiribati’s Sustainable Tourism Development Framework, outlining Kiribati’s policy environment that supports sustainable coastal and marine tourism and the challenges and achievements of tourism operations and the relationship with other marine resource users. He further stressed that Kiribati only has one opportunity to get their sustainable tourism mandate right and looks to development partners such as the ADB to guide the destination through that process.

Panelists included Ms. Shaahina Ali, Executive Director, Parley Maldives, Mr. Jeffery Smith, Vice President Sustainability, Six Senses Hotels, Resorts and Spas and Ms. Kimarli Fernando, Chairperson Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.

 

 

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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