The distant island of Tamana also known as “My small paradise” was visited by the Research and Statistics Division to carry out its annual workplan activities. These activities include the Outer Island Perception Surveys (OIPS), the Tourism Business Inventory Survey (TBIS) and island mapping.
The OIPS is a survey seeking the views and perceptions of the locals on the value of tourism to their communities and island. Some of the information collected relates to income from tourism; the perceived environmental, economic and sociocultural impacts of tourism to name a few.
The TBIS was the second survey conducted and it collects information such as staff numbers, room and bed inventory, and facilities and services offered from the accommodation providers on the island. This is part of TAK’s annual workplan to update the national accommodation database for the Gilbert, Line and Phoenix islands.
There are 2 accommodation providers on the island, namely the Tamana Island Council Guesthouse and the Kiribati Protestant Church (KPC) Guesthouse located in Bakaaka village.
The team also plotted tourism attraction sites on the island using a GPS device for mapping purposes. The completed visitor map will serve as a guide for those who wish to explore the island.
TAK was part of the Ministry of Tourism, Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives (MTCIC) team that visited Tamana to celebrate the National Coconut and Cooperative Day for the first time on the 22nd of October.
Accompanying the Honourable Minister for Tourism, Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Mr Booti Nauan along with his wife Dr Tabuaka Nauan, were diplomatic representatives from the Chinese Embassy, Australian High Commission, New Zealand High Commission and the owner of OceanLink.
This was the first the time for the Research & Statistics Division to conduct its activities on the island.
