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Taare Rikiai

Cultural Rehabilitation and Ecotourism Development in Maiana

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati undertook a cultural rehabilitation program and ecotourism development consultation on the island of Maiana from 14 to 28 June 2020.

On the first week, TAK teamed up with a Cultural Museum Division (CMD) team during their village consultations.   These consultations aimed at increasing awareness on the significance of maintaining cultural heritage and planting of resilient local food crops to enhance their food security and maintain traditional cuisine and to sustain local knowledge and practices in response to the adverse impacts of climate change.

TAK was involved in the cultural rehabilitation consultations with village elders (unimwane). This was the first ever joint Culture and Tourism mission to help restore and rehabilitate site of cultural significance for tourism purposes as well and for future generations to enjoy. The team had the opportunity to discuss with village decision makers ways in which these important sites were to be preserved or beautified.  This joint task was as extension of work done in Abemama and Nonouti.

Whilst in Maiana, the TAK team seized the opportunity to expand its awareness on the importance of Ecotourism and its linkages to cultural heritage, agritourism and other tourism related businesses development. TAK consulted with different villages and their communities to identify potential eco-tourism businesses and conduct SWOT analysis for each village.

The program culminated with a one- day training workshop on how to develop ecotourism packages and tourism itinerary development and planning.

The TAK team is expects to revisit to Maiana to work with communities who have shown interest to commence their eco-tourism business initiatives and to continue its engagement with CMD on beautification of Maiana cultural sites. These activities are to augment strategies against the instabilities of climate change.

This activity was supported by the LDCF-1 Project, funded by the Global Environment Facility and implemented under the Environment and Conservation Division with the support of the United Nations Development Programme.

 TAK participates in Airport Public Health Safety Measures meeting

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) joined the Airport Kiribati Authority in its first round of stakeholder’s consultations to discuss the Airports Council International’s (ACI) guidance on public health safety measures for Bonriki International Airport.

The guidance provided by ACI covers recommended measures for the appropriate handling of domestic and international flights during the Covid-19 pandemic. These measures focus on the health and welfare of travelers, staffs and the public with the aim to alleviate opportunities for the spread of Covid-19.

Procedures discussed included disembarking and arrival, health and security screening, baggage claim, customs and quarantine clearance and domestic transfer points.

The meeting was also attended by representatives from the Department of Public Health of the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Immigration Department, Customs and Quarantine, private sector operators and Air Kiribati.

TAK recognizes important need for Kiribati to maintain its Covid-19 free destination status and will continue to actively engage in programs developed to promote health security and safety.

 

 

TAK preserves WWll relics

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Visitors to Tarawa can enjoy memorable battlefield tourism experiences when international flight resumes following the installation of awareness sign boards at the World War ll (WWII) Relics area at Takoronga point.

The ‘no littering & dumping; no open defecation; no camping; and no alcohol drinking’ sign boards aim to encourage visitors and locals to appreciate and preserve relics and sites at Takoronga which are of historical significance to Kiribati.

Tarawa was the forefront of the Allied forces Pacific campaign during WWII, and it is where the American forces invaded the then Japanese controlled islet of Betio. Known as the Battle of Tarawa, the invasion of Betio, it was one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific in WWII. It was extremely costly in human lives and it was the first initial stage of a great amphibious landing against heavily fortified position on the tiny islet of Betio. The Battle of Tarawa was considered a huge mistake by the U.S Military but they soon realized and learnt that it was a valuable lesson that would help them in their strategic battle plans as they fought their way across the Pacific towards Japan.

The installation of the signage at Takoronga follows the extensive clean-up of the same site undertaken by the Takoronga community in early June 2020 and TAK will complete this with the installation of information kiosks to be mounted at the site in August 2020.

The Government of Kiribati in December 2019 endorsed that TAK take ownership and guardianship of all WWll relics.

Q1 2020 Tourism Industry Review Report Released

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The Q1 2020 Tourism Industry report has been released in June for the benefit of our stakeholders.

For the first time, Outbound and domestic tourism has been analysed and the basic data is presented in the report.

Furthermore, the report contains international visitor arrival data as well as justifications for the changes in numbers. It also provides analysis by region, namely Tarawa and Kiritimati.

Visitor arrivals for this period were 1409, a drop of 17% compared to the same period last year. Both regions saw drops in their visitor numbers with Kiritimati hardest hit with only 384 arrivals between January and March this year, a massive drop of 55% compared to Q1 2019.

Domestically, a total of 6290 domestic flights were recorded with the most visited island being Abemama.

Outbound travel saw a total of 3049 I-Kiribati travelling overseas and most of this travel was for education purposes.

The report was prepared by the Research & Statistics Division of the TAK.

Rate and Revenue Management Virtual Workshop for Tourism Operators

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati conducted a Virtual Workshop for Tourism Operators on Rate and Revenue Management at the Vodafone Boardroom today, the 30th June 2020.

The virtual workshop was facilitated by Mr. Warwick McCormark – Founder and International Director at Learn, Fast Centre Auckland, New Zealand.

The workshop covered rate and revenue, with emphasis on how local operators can creatively develop alternative products and pricing in the current business environment. It also highlighted the human resource management challenges that COVID-19 presents and how businesses can handle this in a more humane and financially viable manner.

Participants were from South Tarawa, North Tarawa and Abaiang whilst the Ministry of Internal Affairs represented the islands council accommodation in the outer islands.

The workshop is part of TAK’s strategy to strengthen local capacity during this quiet business period.

TAK Kiritimati Celebrates 1st Anniversary

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TAK Kiritimati celebrated its first Anniversary as an authority on the 10th of June 2020 at the Ministry of Lines and Phoenix island common area.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Secretary assured everyone, the full support of the Ministry to sustainable tourism development and that plans had already been in place to address issues and challenges relating to tourism development. He added that littering is one major issue in Kiribati, and this plan or policy was also developed to address this issue.

Officer in Charge for TAK Kiritimati, Mr. Tekonaba Teburea, in his closing remarks, on behalf of the Board, CEO and all TAK staff thanked the government for its continuous support and assistance for the last 12 months. Mr. Teburea also had the opportunity to share with everyone, an overview on what TAK had achieved for this part 12 months.

Cleaning and Gardening campaign

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Every Friday of the week, staff of the Ministry of Line and Phoenix Islands take a day off from office work and work outside cleaning and gardening outside of their officer for a cleaner and healthier working environment.

The main purpose of the cleaning campaign is to encourage all employees to continue working in a working place that is clean, tidy and look inviting to customers.

Friday 20th June 2020, TAK staffs had the opportunity to work on their garden and their office entrance, beautifying it with flowers and other plants to make it look attractive and tidy. An inspection to be carried out once each sector completed their clean up and gardening.

Kiritimati Junior Secondary School Cultural Day

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Cultural celebration has been part of the fabric of Kiribati schools for decades and it is still celebrated in schools till date. Part of the celebration includes a competition on three different things, singing (choir), local dancing and playing different types of local games. Local produce and foods were also displayed for sale during the day.

Given that culture is recognized as the subset of tourism and provides social and economic benefits to the local community at large, sustainable revival of our culture through school cultural celebration is vital for maintaining and keeping our, identity and integrity as an I-Kiribati.

TAK support this initiative and is planning to work with schools that celebrate cultural day and have their dates included in the 2021 tourism event Calendar for travellers who want to see and experience the Kiribati culture and have it include it also on a list of things to do while in Kiribati.

International Visitors Survey 2019 Report

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The International Visitors Survey 2019 (IVS 2019) report will be released in July 2020 following the conclusion of the survey in 2020. The IVS 2019 ran for a period of 12 months, having commenced on March 25th 2019 and conducted by enumerators and TAK staff using iPads supplied by the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO).

The IVS is an internationally recognized survey using two methods, online questionnaires sent to departing visitors or face to face interviews at the departure lounge of the airport. Among the data recorded in this project were; preferred mode of transport; average amount spent on accommodation and meals; purpose of visit; satisfaction with facilities and services used or experienced while in Kiribati; tourist activities participated in; demographics; whether or not they would recommend Kiribati to friends and family and many others.

The survey managed to capture a total of 1405 responses with 1155 from Tarawa and 250 from Kiritimati.

Furthermore, the IVS 2019 was developed in partnership with the SPTO and funded by the European Union – Kiribati Cooperation. The SPTO also provided the iPads on which the questionnaires were loaded and also provided the training on the use of the iPads.

The data is being analysed in-house by the TAK Research & Statistics division.

The Report should provide insightful details into where Kiribati lies in terms of tourist satisfaction, comfort and safety and allow policy makers, the private sector and the communities to work together to fill the gaps identified in the survey for the benefit of both the locals and our visitors.

New Maneaba Cultural Tourism in Kiritimati

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) joined the Kiritimati community at the opening ceremony of the “Tokanikai II” Kiribati Uniting Church Maneaba, in Poland, Christmas Island on 13th June 2020.

A Maneaba is a traditional Kiribati meeting house and is central to the island’s way of life. Its size reflects its importance to the community and are characterized with low extended roofs that require guests to bow when entering the Maneaba, as a sign of respect.

At the ceremony, TAK OIC, Tekonaba Teburea, acknowledged the importance of the Maneaba in Kiribati culture and encouraged the community to maintain and preserve it.

Mr Teburea also had the opportunity to create awareness on the importance of tourism in a community and its contribution to our socio-economic development.

The opening of ‘Tokanikai II’ was one of the biggest functions held in Poland, and was attended by officials from the Ministry of Line and the Phoenix Islands.

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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