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Kiribati welcomes China Tourism Destination Status

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) acknowledges and welcome’s the People’s Republic of China’s announcement to declare Kiribati as a tourism destination for Chinese citizens.

This announcement comes following the historic state visit to China by Kiribati President, Hon Taneti Maamau.

The Approved Destination Status (ADS) is the arrangement between the Chinese Government and the Government of Kiribati to let Chinese holiday travelers visit Kiribati in a tour group. The ADS, therefore, give the Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) the permission to promote Kiribati as a holiday destination in China and presents Kiribati with the opportunity to grow tourism accordingly.

The China Outbound Tourism market continues to enjoy year on year growth recording 63.1 million international outbound trips in 2019. Such growth is fueled by the increase in disposable personal income, waiving of visa requirements into selected countries and the growing desire by Chinese nationals to travel the world. The Chinese outbound market also spends generously, and forecasts indicate global Chinese tourism spending to exceed US$163 Billion by 2024.

As a small Pacific island destination, TAK is optimistic that with adequate tourism infrastructure development, the Chinese visitor market can drive tourism revenue growth and create new employment opportunities for Kiribati.

Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) Chief Executive Officer, Petero Manufolau says that “growth from China market will be based on a sustainable low volume, high-value holiday experience promoting the unique cultures, diverse marine life, the laid-back lifestyle in the islands and its people”.

Manufolau adds that Air Kiribati’s new Embraer E190 jets which are scheduled to commence international services from March 2020 will also play an important role in helping facilitate the growth of its China international visitor market.

To prepare the destination for the Chinese market, TAK has commenced discussions and work on the adoption of a national China-Ready training program, tourism investment opportunities portfolio, Chinese tour operator product training and destination marketing initiatives to raise awareness of Kiribati in China.

Bakery Training for Tarawa Tourism Operators

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) is undertaking bakery training for selected tourism operators on South Tarawa.

Conducted by Tourism Officer Ms Tikarerei Uriam, this complimentary training is part of TAK’s capacity building development program for hotels/accommodation kitchen staffs. Through this training, participants are encouraged and taught to support and enhance a variety of cakes and pastries to their customers.

Participants, through their employers, contribute to baking ingredients and other materials relevant to the training and training are conducted in their respective hotel. Accommodation providers participating in this training include the George Hotel, Fema Lodge, Utirerei Hotel and Dreamers.

The training began in December 2019 and it will be run until late January 2020. Each of these accommodations is scheduled to have three days of training with two baking recipes offered to them daily, thus a total recipe of six (6) baking recipes for each accommodation provider.

This training will conclude at the end of January 2020 and TAK looks forward to the improved patisserie experiences in South Tarawa.

New Shops open in Bonriki International Airport

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Passenger experiences at Tarawa International Airport has been enhanced with the opening of 2 new outlets in the terminal building.

Departing passengers can now enjoy freshly brewed coffee and other refreshments with their families before they proceed to immigration and security clearance.

In the departure lounge, a wider beverage selection with freshly baked muffins and cookies is available at Colorz Air for passengers who wish to enjoy a light meal before boarding their flight.

TAK attends closing ceremony of 2019 China – Pacific Island Countries Year of Tourism and Opening of CITM in Kunming

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Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) on the invitation of Luo Shugang, China’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, attended the closing ceremony of the 2019 China – Pacific Island Countries Year of Tourism in Kunming on 15 November 2019.

The China – Pacific Year of Tourism 2019 offered a great opportunity for Pacific Island countries to showcase China what the Pacific Island countries has to offer in tourism and increased awareness of the potential that China has for the Pacific as an emerging market.

The closing ceremony coincided with the official opening of the 2019 China International Travel Mart (CITM) where TAK undertook product update training for Chinese travel trade and media partners. This was an initial introduction of Kiribati to the Chinese market and the session was used to establish links with valuable stakeholders.

TAK will work with the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) and Pacific Trade & Invest (PRI) China to further develop its presence in the Chinese market, including a China Market Ready workshop in 2020 and the translation of its collaterals/ information into Chinese.

 

TAK participates in Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Forum on Marine Ecotourism.

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The Deputy CEO and Deputy Chairman from Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) attended the first ever invitation of AIS Forum which was held at Manado. Indonesia from 30th October to 1st November 2019. The theme for the forum was Natural Beauty and Prosperity: Marine Ecotourism Opportunity.  The Forum was based on three major events; the Start Up Business Summit (SBS) held on 30th October, which is a forum for start-ups, academics, marine ecotourism communities; the 4th AIS Senior Officials Meeting held on 31st October and the 2nd Ministers Forum on 1st November 2019.

The overall aim for this AIS Forum was to spark practical actions to promote the development of smart and innovative solutions for the tourism sector and create business opportunities.  The theme was chosen as an effort to incorporate elements of conservation and sustainability into marine tourism activities of which incorporated challenges (including climate change adaptation and mitigation, combating marine plastic debris) and opportunities (for blue economy development and good ocean governance) as key topics of discussion.

The Senior Official meeting was attended by the Deputy CEO whilst the Deputy Chairman led as the Head of the Kiribati Delegation to the Ministers meeting. The AIS meeting was beneficial as it provided the platform to share ideas, experiences, and learn from different best practices from the various AIS delegations. Kiribati was also fortunate to share its best practices in terms of Good Marine Governance and promote the Phoenix Islands Protected Area Imitative.

The meeting also discussed the launch of the Blue Economy Index (BEDI) and the AIS Pledge to Ecotourism and support in Microfinance which TAK will be working towards.

The meeting outcomes will lay the path towards the first AIS Forum High Level Conference to be attended by Heads of States/Government in 2020 which no doubt Kiribati will be a part of.

TAK attends International Workshop on Ecotourism for Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) at Manado, Indonesia.

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The Deputy CEO of Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) participated in a two- day workshop on Ecotourism which was conducted on 26-27th October 2019 at Manado, North Sulawesi, Republic of Indonesia. Kiribati was amongst 7 other Archipelagic and Small Island states that took part in the workshop which included Solomon Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Maldives, Seychelles, St Kilda and Indonesia. The workshop was jointly conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Coordinating Ministry of Marine Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia and supported by UNDP Indonesia.

The 2-day workshop provided a very interactive platform, where participants engaged in discussions on Ecotourism programs, plannings, developments and management practices. Participants had the honour of learning opportunities, challenges and success stories of Bali tourism, and as well as getting updated on the business model that was adopted for Bali Ecotourism initiatives. Participants were also able to apply the business model based on different case studies and adding value based on their different country contributions.

Kiribati is grateful to be a part of this productive workshop as it not only contributed to capacity building and a great learning experience, but it has engaged broader networking with different tourism stakeholders within Indonesia, and other small island states within the Pacific and beyond.

Integrated Vulnerability Assessment (IVA) visit to Beru Island

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The IVA survey team conducted their survey on Beru Island on the 13 – 15 November 2019. The IVA team is made up of various Government ministries and NGO’s under the Kiribati National Expert Group (KNEG) including the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resource Development (MFMRD), the water division under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy (MISE), the Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK), the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS), the Office of Te Beretitenti (OB), the Ministry of Women, Youth, Sports and Social Affairs (MWYSSA) and the UNDP. This is the fifth time that TAK has joined the IVA team in carrying out their survey.

The main purpose of the survey is to identify key issues experienced by the local people in relation to the effects of climate change. The targeted group of the survey are the elderly men (Unimwane), women, youth and people with disabilities from each village.

The team also managed to conduct their own sector activities. All IVA team members were tasked to conduct their own sector activities in order to provide valuable and strong evidence on the effects of climate change experienced by the locals that would help fully equip the final IVA report that will be produced by the Office of Te Beretitenti.

The TAK conducted its Tourism Business & Inventory Survey (TBIS) at the two guesthouses – the catholic parish’s St Joseph’s guesthouse and Rongongo guesthouse, following up on the TBIS survey conducted in February of this year. Other potential tourist sites were plotted using GPS to develop a tourist map of the island.

The Catholic Parish is currently upgrading its guesthouse building, carrying out major renovations, while the Rongorongo guesthouse has its own Wi-Fi (24 hours internet) now. Seeing the two guesthouses and comparing their conditions from the last visit in February, there are improvements seen as there are more kiakia or buia (local open house) provided at the Catholic guesthouse while Rongorongo guesthouse has its own Wi-Fi.

There are also other sites being plotted that holds significant history which includes the old house located at the island council guesthouse compound (Commissioner’s house for the Southern islands during colonial times), the bombed areas at Rongorongo, the original house of  Alfred Sadd –   the missionary famously known for his bravery when he saluted the Union Jack (national flag of the United Kingdom) and folded it when told by the Japanese to walk on it.

One of Beru’s uniqueness is te bokaboka (literally translated as ‘the mud’), an edible alga that is still eaten today. The myth of te bokaboka is that an old woman by the name of Nei Tebanikarawa first discovered this rare alga. It was during the famine period in Beru, Nei Tebanikarawa dreamt about the edible algae, in her dream she was directed to the site where the algae can be found as well as steps for preparing it to be eaten. It was from her dream that this te bokaboka was first discovered and also found to be the most unique traditional food of the island. Te bokaboka is what distinguishes Beru Island from the rest of the Kiribati Islands as it is only be found in Beru Island at Taboiaki village on the southern part of Beru Island.

The trip was co-financed by the OB and UNDP.

WASH Workshop in Kiritimati

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A WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene)  workshop in Kiritimati island coordinated by UNICEF was conducted at the Village hotel for two days on 11 & 12 November 2019.

The workshop emphasized on the importance of accessing safe drinking water, good and safe sanitation and hygiene. The workshop is part of UNICEF’s training awareness program for the Water and Sanitation project to be implemented on the island and will be funded by the European Union

Participation of TAK Kiritimati in the workshop gave us the opportunity to get a broad understanding of the program and to include it in Tourism awareness and training programs to both schools and accommodation providers in the future.

Kiritimati is a world-class fly-fishing destination and this workshop, and the project will also support tourism development through access to safe fresh water and good sanitation by tourism operators, schools and local communities.

Tourism Product Research identifies 7 sites to visit in Kiritimati island

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati in Kiritimati Island conducted a tourism product research to identify key activities that a visitor can do while on the island.

Part of the preparation, involved, meeting with a representative from Wildlife & Conservation Unit, Agriculture division and Fisheries division to discuss and identify each individual’s resources that could be highlighted as one of the tourism activities that a visitor can engage or involve in.

An on-site visit to the 7 target proposed tourism sites on the island was carried out on Friday 1st of November 2019. The idea of a site visit was to get familiarized with the area, get good photos and GPS plotting to develop a tourist map of the island.

The seven propose sites includes

  1. Agriculture plantation land – an opportunity for a visitor to plants his/her own coconut tree
  2. Artemia Corner – to see turtle’s footprint and nesting ground.
  3. Joe’s Hill – highlighted as the highest sand hill on the island.
  4. The Isles lagoon – ideal for Kayaking and bird feeding and bird watching
  5. Huff Dam – ideal for GT fishing, kayaking, bird feeding and bird watching
  6. Te Nei Rababa – an opportunity for a visitor to see a unique coconut tree that has 9 trunks
  7. Long Beach – ideal for a visitor to suntan on a very wide and long white beach and swimming.

New Cultural Holiday Package for Abemama

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The village of Reina on the island of Abemama, located South East of Tarawa has set a target to enhance their livelihoods through tourism by developing cultural products and experiences for international visitors.

In collaboration with the Tourism Authority of Kiribati, they have developed a 5 and 3 days cultural holiday package that promotes the use of cultural skills to demonstrate how to preserve the local food, touring of the bwabwai (pronounced “papai”) pit known as the “giant swamp taro” – agritourism, cutting of toddy, mantis shrimp fishing and performing the Kiribati traditional dance. 

A sample of this product was showcased to TAK Product Development Officer, Ms. Kiarake Karuaki and visiting government officials who were part of the LDCF-I project team that visited Abemama from 25 October – 04 November 2019.

TAK also facilitated the production of a video documentary on the Reina cultural package and will share this with other pilot islands and other island communities who wish to learn how to create value using their cultural way of living.

The package includes return domestic flights from Tarawa with Air Kiribati and accommodation at the Abemama Eco Green Hotel with all meals included.

TAK was also part of the team that assisted the community in developing their bylaw for a sustainable community-based tourism. The bylaw is now in draft and will be endorsed after consultation with the island council in mid-December.

Mr Martin Tekeewaa – the President of Reina village mentioned that the bylaw will guide the village work accordingly to the set of guidelines and rules agreed to ensure the sustainability of their small-scale tourism business (cultural tour program).

This initiative was supported by the LDCF-I project, the Global Environment Facility and UNDP and the Environment and Conservation Division MELAD.

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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