Tourism Authority Kiribati

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TOURISM AND SUSTAINABLE COASTAL FISHERIES

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Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) attended the Commonwealth Blue Charter National Workshop on Sustainable Coastal Fisheries Action Group from on 22 and 23 May 2020 at Teuanete Maneaba in Taborio.

The Blue Charter is an initiative from the Commonwealth on sustainable management and development of the marine resources. It has 10 action groups which will address issues and developments on different areas of the ocean.

Kiribati initiated to champion the 10th action group called Sustainable Coastal Fisheries which will be led by the Coastal Fisheries Division under the Ministry of Fisheries & Marine Resource Development (MFMRD).

Among key stakeholders, TAK delivered a presentation sharing the linkages between tourism and the sustainable coastal fisheries and highlighted how tourism can contribute to achieving sustainable coastal fisheries. TAK also raised the notion of possible areas of collaboration between stakeholders and underlined issues that may hinder the successful development of sustainable coastal fisheries and the development of marine eco-tourism.

TAK looks forward to its continued participation and contribution to Sustainable Coastal Fisheries Action Group. END

NEW INTEGRATED LAND USE PLAN FOR KIRITIMATI

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The Ministry of Line & Phoenix Islands hosted a launching ceremony on Friday 1st May 2020, to mark the official completion of the New Integrated Land Use Plan for Kiritimati Island. Minister for the Line & Phoenix Hon. Mikarite Temari officiate this launching ceremony declaring the completion of this very important plan on behalf of the Government.

The Honourable Minister stressed the importance of this plan as a guideline for land use management to control, prevent and legislate such developments to refrain Kiritimati Island from confronting issues that is now currently been experienced by South Tarawa due to overpopulation and unplanned developments.

He added that the implementation of the plan would also help in achieving the Government vision for 20 years (KV20) on tourism developments.

With the plan confirming potential tourism sites, TAK Kiritimati will work with the Lands Division, Wildlife and Conservation Division, Fisheries and MLPID to regulate and manage these sites.

The event was also attended by the Mayor to Kiritimati Urban Council, Church leaders and communities on the island, Parliament representatives from Kiritimati and Teraina Islands and government officials. The program ended with a tour of the ILUP maps displayed on the notice board. END

KIRITIMATI CLEANING AND GARDENING CAMPAIGN

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26th May 2020: The Kiritimati Cleaning and Gardening Campaign is a new program developed by Senior officials of the Ministry of Line & Phoenix Islands Development, Government Agency Office’s (GAOs) and State Own Enterprises (SOEs) on Kiritimati island.

Supported by the Hon. Minister, this initiative encourages employees and the people of Kiritimati to learn and understand the purpose and significance of cleaning and gardening in the society.

The Kiritimati Cleaning and Gardening Campaign is led by 8 offices from different sectors in Kiritimati and SOEs. These include Tourism Authority of Kiribati, Immigration Office, Kiribati Insurance Corporation, Education Office, Kiribati Post Office, Tax Office, Customs Office and ANZ Bank of Kiribati at MLPID building complex block.

The program was established with the objective to help each other to maintain the front and back yard of the building complex block to be clean and green.

TAK Kiritimati also used this opportunity to clean and maintain visitor sites in London.

The program was implemented in early 2020 and is scheduled every Friday.

TOURISM INCLUDED IN 2020 CENSUS

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26th May 2020:  For the first time, the population of Kiribati will be asked for their views on tourism through the national census to be carried out later this year. This was made possible through the support of the National Statistics Office (NSO).

The tourism component of the 2020 Census questionnaire is aimed at obtaining people’s perception on tourism and their understanding on the current and possible benefits of tourism in their respective households and community.

The Research and Statistics division of TAK used the NSO 2020 Census Workshop at Antebuka on 11 May 2020 to update the population census enumerators with the tourism section of the survey and attended to questions raised by the enumerators.

TAK hopes that the census responses will provide greater insight into the communities’ perceptions of tourism. Such information will allow TAK to target awareness, training, and development projects to those communities that require them, particularly where greater understanding of tourism is minimal.

The 2020 National Census will commence on 7th November 2020.

Boat Safety, First Aid, Pastry and Tour Guiding training in Maiana

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Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) in collaboration with the Marine Division and the Kiribati Red Cross Society undertook tourism operator training in Maiana, from 20 – 24th April 2020

The Training was part of the TAK capacity building development program to support the game fishing initiatives, to establish an ecotourism venture on the island.

Maiana island is one of the pilot islands, under the LDCF-I project, aimed to develop a game fishing market for the island.  Ultimately the project aims to help generate income from the coastal zone resources sustainably, and also motivate the locals to practice coastal fisheries conservation.

The specific areas of training included  boat safety, first aid, pastry/baking and tour guiding. This activity should guarantee that: the people of Maiana are well prepared when the whole island is eventually opened up to international markets for fly-fishing games; as communities organize their tour activities and programs.

In addition, the training had also encouraged the community members in Maiana to actively engage in reviving any food conservation methods, as well as valuing their culture, land and marine environments, as means to build resilience under climate change conditions and improve visitor experiences.

The boat safety and first aid training were particularly relevant to the game fishing market as there were focused on equipping participants with any immediate and required services to anglers should they encounter any problem at sea.

68 participants attended the four training sessions which were all run at the same time and 57 % of the attendees were women and 43% were men.

The week concluded with a closing ceremony and the awarding of certificates to all participants and the handing over of the speed boat to the Maiana Island Council from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources Development.

Mayor and the Leader of the Elders Association (Te Bau Ni Maiana) on the island, applauded the successful completion of the training. with

GoK launches COVID-19 response website

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The Government of Kiribati (GoK) has launched a website dedicated to centralising the dissemination of COVID-19 information. www.covid19.gov.ki

The aim of the website is to provide a COVID-19 information hub with up to date, accurate and official information about the pandemic as approved by the Ministry Health and Medical Services (MHMS).

In addition to the general situation brief, the page also includes other government advisories on Coronavirus including civil servants, education, commodities and safety and enforcement.

I-Kiribati nationals currently stranded overseas due to flight restrictions can also refer to the website for official advise on GoK funding assistance.

TAK recommends that the website be used as the only source of COVID-19 information for residents and travellers to reduce the likelihood of rumours that may cause unnecessary panic amongst the people.

ANZ Kiribati loan deferrals

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ANZ Kiribati is offering loan repayment deferrals for up to six months for ANZ customers financially affected by Covid-19.

Loan repayment deferrals mean that qualifying customers will not make principal and interest payments on their loans for up to six months, although interest will continue to be charged to the loan.

They are part of a range of other measures designed to support ANZ customers in hardship and are in addition to fee removal and interest rate reductions already implemented by ANZ.

ANZ Kiribati Country Head Gregory Edwards said the economic downturn is becoming more acute for Kiribati and other Pacific countries due to Covid-19.

“Covid-19 restrictions are financially impacting thousands of homeowners, personal borrowers and businesses in the Pacific, and for many the ability to maintain their home loan is a major concern,” said Mr Edwards.    “This is going to significantly help Kiribati people and the broader economy to manage over the long term through the pandemic.”

ANZ Regional Executive for the Pacific Tessa Price cautioned customers to look at the range of relief options available, as a deferral might not be the right solution for everyone.

 

“Loan repayment deferrals are designed to help our customers reduce their outgoings by temporarily stopping their loan repayments.”

“Loan deferrals will extend the life of the loan and add to the overall cost, so we’ll be talking to customers to ensure a loan deferral is the best option for them, and that other options might better meet their needs.”

“We ask that our customers be patient with us as we work through the high number of calls and applications coming through.”

Hardship options for ANZ Kiribati customers include*:

  • Loan restructures to extend the maturity date of a term loan and reduce payments;
  • Interest only loans for up to six months;
  • Temporary working capital facilities;
  • Term loan repayment deferrals for six months upon application, with interest accumulating.

*Note: the measures applied depend on the individual circumstances

  • Fee removals and interest rate reductions for ANZ Kiribati customers already offered by ANZ*: A reduction of 0.50% per annum on all local currency overdrafts for commercial customers (effective 6 April);
  • A reduction of 0.50% per annum on all local currency variable term loans for commercial customers (effective 1 May);
  • A reduction of 0.50% per annum on all local currency variable home loans and personal loans (effective 1 May);
  • Removal of monthly loan administration charges for term loans for both retail and commercial customers (effective 1 May);
  • A waiver on loan restructuring fees for commercial customers on a case-by-case basis;

A reduction in repayment amounts for commercial customers in line with the reduced interest rates

First Virtual Tourism Digital Workshop for Kiribati

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) in partnership with the Pacific Trade and Invest (PTI) Australia and World Hotel Link (WHL) hosted the country’s first ever Virtual Digital Tourism Workshop on the 28 April 2020.  The half day webinar was attended by tourism operators from Tarawa, Abaiang and Kiritimati and was hosted at the Vodafone boardroom in Bairiki.

The webinar is part of the TAK’s capacity building initiative for industry partners and stakeholders during this COVID-19 pandemic.

The aim of the webinar was to offer training on effective website management and how such a tool can be better used to improve sales and profitability.  Topics of this online session included the importance of knowing the online buying cycle, critical functionality/features of a website to boost sales and revenue and booking engine management.

Attendees appreciated the relevance of the webinar and acknowledged that it will add value to their respective organisations.

Through the webinar, PTI also reconfirmed its COVID-19 digital marketing relief package which includes the complimentary development of new business websites for tourism operators currently without one and a discounted monthly website maintenance fees for operators whose websites were developed by WHL.

TAK will roll out other capacity building programs to help upskill industry partners during this current global pandemic.

TAK welcomes new Marine Protected Area plan

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) participated in the Southern Line Islands Marine Protected Area (SLIMPA) workshop to review the Draft SLIMPA Management Plan 2020 – 2024 on Thursday 16 April 2020.

The objective of the workshop was to review the SLIMPA Management Plan 2020 – 2024 developed by the PIPA Implementing Office (PIO).

Following the Government of Kiribati’s (GoK) approval, SLIMPA, which consist of Flint, Volstok, Starbuck, Malden and Millennium islands north of French Polynesia, will be a no-take Marine Protected Area (MPA) like the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA).

TAK was invited to review the tourism plan in the SLIMPA Management plan. Through the workshop, TAK outlined its recommendations for sustainable tourism in SLIMPA which focuses on maintaining a balance between revenue generation and marine line conservation.

The location of the islands between Kiritimati and Papeete makes SLIMPA a suitable stop over destination for cruise vessels travelling to Papeete from North America. In addition, the islands boast a collection of rare bird species and abundant sea life, suitable for birdwatchers and diving enthusiasts.

The workshop was also attended by representatives from various government departments  and organizations including the Attorney General’s Office, Kiribati Police Service, Kiribati Oil Company, Kiribati Tourism Authority, Kiribati Airport Authority, Public Utilities Board, Kiribati Solar Energy, Kiribati National Shipping Co. Ltd, Kiribati Chamber of Commerce and Air Kiribati.

Tourism included in Year 9 KCS Syllabus

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Tourism topics have for the first time become part of the school syllabus in Kiribati. This was confirmed by the Curriculum Development Office (CDO) who have stated that the tourism topic is now part of the Year 9 Kiribati Community Studies (KCS).

The inclusion of tourism topics in the year 9 syllabus is a result of extensive consultation and discussions between the Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) and the CDO in 2019.

This milestone achievement signifies the commitment of both TAK and the CDO to help students understand the dynamics of how the tourism industry functions, its value and contribution to communities and the economy.  TAK hopes that by understanding tourism better, students will consider careers in hospitality and will also be engaged in practices that help improve Kiribati’s position as an ideal tourism destination.

TAK will continue to collaborate with the CDO to encourage increased tourism coverage in school curriculum across different grades. END

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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