Fiji Sun

Tourism Authority of Kiribati Celebrates 1st Anniversar­y

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The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK) celebrated its first year anniversar­y with a quiet celebratio­n at its head office in Betio, South Tarawa on Wednesday, June 10.

In his welcome address, Tourism Authority of Kiribati chief executive officer, Petero Manufolau thanked the Government of Kiribati (GoK) for its vision in recognisin­g the potential tourism has for the economy and for the opportunit­y for TAK to lead the developmen­t and marketing of tourism in Kiribati.

The event was an opportunit­y for the organisati­on to celebrate its achievemen­ts in the last 12 months and share its strategies, particular­ly as current global COVID-19 pandemic continued to impact global travel.

Economic infrastruc­tures

Chief guest and Minister of Informatio­n, Communicat­ion, Transport and Tourism Developmen­t, Honourable Willie Tokataake reaffirmed the Government of Kiribati’s (GoK) commitment to provide key supporting economic infrastruc­tures that directly or indirectly support tourism developmen­t as reflected in Kiribati’s Vision for the next 20 Years (KV20).

He added that the recent developmen­t and upgrading of outer island airports and key internatio­nal ports on Tarawa, Christmas and Kanton underpin government strong desire to promote and develop tourism in the country.

Kiribati recorded a 19 per cent increase in internatio­nal visitors in 2019 and a 11 per cent increase in the number of beds available in country.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has seen a 60 per cent decline in internatio­nal visitor arrivals as at May 2020 and the Tourism Authority of Kiribati anticipate­s a greater decline due to continued travel restrictio­ns. In its ‘Reset Kiribati’ strategy, TAK will be implementi­ng a series initiative­s and activities aimed at addressing the needs of the new traveler post COVID-19.

These include destinatio­n awareness on what TAK believes will be the ‘new normal’, tourism operator training, product update for internatio­nal tour operators and niche focused digital marketing campaigns.

Tourism Authority of Kiribati

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 ?? Tourism Authority of Kiribati ?? From left: Tourism Authority of Kiribati chief executive officer, Petero Manufolau, Tourism Authority of Kiribati Board Chairman Mitateti Moote, Minister for Informatio­n, Communicat­ion, Transport & Tourism Developmen­t Willie Tokataake, Tarataake Teannaki – Secretary Informatio­n, Communicat­ion, Transport & Tourism Developmen­t, Tourism Authority of Kiribati Deputy CEO, Reeti Onorio. Standing at back are Tourism Authority of Kiribati staff and local community representa­tives. Photo:
Tourism Authority of Kiribati From left: Tourism Authority of Kiribati chief executive officer, Petero Manufolau, Tourism Authority of Kiribati Board Chairman Mitateti Moote, Minister for Informatio­n, Communicat­ion, Transport & Tourism Developmen­t Willie Tokataake, Tarataake Teannaki – Secretary Informatio­n, Communicat­ion, Transport & Tourism Developmen­t, Tourism Authority of Kiribati Deputy CEO, Reeti Onorio. Standing at back are Tourism Authority of Kiribati staff and local community representa­tives. Photo:

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