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News 1. Talisker’s ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ Expedi-tion 2&3. 30th Heilala Festival 4. Tonga: the 60th Commonwealth nation to be handed the Queen’s Baton 4-6. Tonga hosted the closing of the Emerg-ing Pacific Leaders’ Dialogue (EPLD) 2010 7. Japan and Tonga celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations 8. Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tour-ism) gets a facelift 9. Chinese Embassy gives the Ministry some wheels 9. Pilot Program for Nonimmigrant visas in Tonga Business & Marketing 10 & 11. CEO Update 12. Tonga air visitors statistics for January and February 2010 13. The Ministry of Tourism’s Corporate Plan (2010 – 2012) 14. Education & Training Division 15. Tips for improving your online marketing 15. Tips & Techniques: customer complains Tourism Events 16. Expos attended to date 16. Upcoming expos 16. World Expo Update 16. Review of ITB Berlin 16. Review of Auckland Boat Show Updates from travelers 17. Air New Zealand’s in flight magazine “Kia Ora” 17 & 18. Competition winners will never forget the Kingdom of Tonga Updates from the community 19. Ride For Health 2010 Event Calendars 19. Community Events 20. Cultural, Religious, Fishing & Sailing Events 21. Rugby League, Rugby Union, AFL & Soccer Events 22. Public Holidays and Cruise Ship Timeta-ble About Tonga’s tourism community 23. Public Sector Tourism Body 23. Private Sector Tourism Bodies

April 2010

Inside this issue:

30th Heilala Festival Miss Heilala Pageant 2010

New Ferry Service Travel from Tongatapu to Vava’u and Ha’apai (and visa versa)

Queen’s Baton Relay Tonga: 60th Commonwealth Nation In The Baton Relay

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“Tourism is everyone’s business”

The Kingdom of Tonga’s Tourism Community Newsletter

“The Kingdom of Tonga’s Tourism Community Newsletter” by the Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism) | TongaHoliday.com

Historical artifacts

The links below (kindly pro-vided by Richard Neville who is the Mitchell Librarian) will make it easier for you to un-derstand the historical event and the Talisker Bounty Boat 2010 Expedition.

Click here to read an over-view of the Mutiny on the Bounty tale and listen to read-ings from Bligh’s official HMS Bounty Log, 16 August 1787 to 20 August 1789.

Click here to view pages and transcripts from William Bligh’s own logbook account of the ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’.

Click here to view a fantastic album view of the log book.

Click here to view a retro-spective handwritten account of William Bligh’s incredible journey from the Kingdom of Tonga to Timor.

On 28 April, Don McIntyre will embark on an incredible nautical journey to re-create one of the most extraordi-nary stories of survival and determination – Captain William Bligh’s 3,700 mile open boat ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ voyage.

The reenactment, following the journey across the Pa-cific from Ha’apai in the Kingdom of Tonga to Timor, will launch on the same day, at the same time and in the same place 221 years after the original mutiny journey.

On 12 April, the Talisker Bounty Boat crew will arrive in Nuku’alofa in the Kingdom of Tonga to set up. On 19

April, the crew will sail to the site of the Mutiny, which is near Tofua Island in Ha’a-pai.

Before all of that, on 9 April, the Mitchell Library (part of the State Library of New South Wales in Sydney, Aus-tralia) will host a send off for the crew of the Talisker Bounty Boat 2010 Expedition.

The State Library of New South Wales holds, amongst other historical records, the original log book that records William Bligh’s epic 42 day voyage from the Kingdom of Tonga to Timor in an over-loaded boat with little food or water and no charts. The Li-brary also holds Bligh’s log book, telescope, personal seal and some letters he wrote to his wife after the Mutiny and the open boat voyage from Kupang. All these items are now owned by Australia and they are rarely on display.

Regarding the opportunity to view the historic objects, Don McIntyre noted “It will make for an amazing day and really create a profound sense of time and place for us all. I am very excited about this amazing opportu-nity.”

Talisker’s ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ Expedition

Picture: William Bligh

Picture: William Bligh’s official HMS Bounty Log, 16 August 1787 – 20 August

Talisker’s ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ Expedition continued

Tonga’s (interim) ferry service will commence in April 2010. This ferry service will enable travelers and local Tongans to travel from Tongatapu to Vava’u and Ha’apai (and visa versa).

Following the Princess Ashika trag-edy, the Australian and New Zealand Governments helped the Tongan Government find and fund this in-terim ferry service, in addition to providing other assistance.

The interim ferry, Ajang Subuh, has been sourced from Malaysia. The Ajang Subuh was built in 2008. The Ajang Subuh was chosen to ensure that the vessel can enter and berth safely at all of the ports in Tonga without significant modifications to ports and wharves. The vessel has undergone an independent survey in Malaysia by internationally-recognised surveyors, London Off-shore Con-sultants, which found it seaworthy and fit for purpose. The 41m vessel has a passenger capacity of 50 and deck cargo capacity of 200 tonnes. The vessel has a top speed of 15.5 knots (28.7 kilometres per hour).

Tonga’s Prime Minister, Hon Dr Fe-leti Vaka’uta Sevele, said “We are deeply grateful to the Governments of New Zealand and Australia for their dedication and commitment to assisting Tonga through this very diffi-cult period. The interim ferry service will provide the essential transporta-tion link between Nuku’alofa and the outer islands until the new Olovaha [ferry] (that is under construction in Japan) arrives later in the year.”

New Zealand and Australia will jointly fund the ferry charter, each providing $2.5 million over 12 months. The Tongan Government is to cover costs such as fuel and vessel maintenance and responsible for on-shore manage-ment arrangements (with on-going support from a New Zealand-funded project manager and maritime safety advisory support. ▪

New Ferry Service

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Click here to find where the Mitchell Library (part of the State Library of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia) is located.

Study Guides Click here for a good study guide called “The life, times and travels of the ex-traordinary Vice-Admiral William Bligh”, which has been produced by ATOM (Pennie Stoyles and Robert Lewis) for Film Art Doco and the ABC.

Click here for AFC/ABC interactive and multimedia version of William Bligh’s incredible story.

More Info

The Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism) is assisting the Talisker Bounty Boat crew with their prepara-tions and are eagerly awaiting their arrival. Mr Sakopo Lolohea, CEO of the Ministry of Tourism, said “We wish the Talisker Bounty Boat crew the best of luck and a safe journey during their voyage from the Kingdom of Tonga to Timor”.

Click here for more information on the Talisker Bounty Boat 2010 Expedition. Talisker’s Bounty Boat Expedition Ex-pedition is raising funds for the Shef-field Institute Foundation for Motor Neurone Disease (SIF). Click here to make a donation to the Expedition/Foundation. ▪

The 30th Heilala Festival will run from 10 – 24 July this year and will coincide with the birthday of Crown Prince Tupouto’a Lavaka.

The Heilala Festival is a unique event which blends ancient traditions and timeless culture with modern enter-

tainment and recreational activities. The Heilala Festival symbolises the Kingdom of Tonga’s great pride in its cultural heritage and is the perfect time to witness the splendor and grace of Tonga’s traditional dances; share in the Tongan people’s amazing gift for song and harmony; marvel at the handiwork

30th Heilala Festival

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30th Heilala Festival continued

of local artisans, and enjoy watching or participating in different sporting events.

A highlight of the 30th Heilala Festival will be the Miss Heilala Pageant, when young ladies from abroad join our local young ladies to compete for the cov-eted title of Miss Heilala 2010.

The Festival is named after Tonga’s national flower, the Heilala, which is the highest in the hierarchy of the Tongan flowers. The Heilala plant has both male and female variety, but only the female variety flowers. The Heilala plant is very difficult to propagate and has to be closely nurtured to survive. Just like the

Heilala plant, the young ladies compet-ing for the Miss Heilala title are closely scrutinised to ensure only the most suitable ambassador is selected for the Kingdom of Tonga.

Mr Sakopo Lolohea, CEO of the Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism), noted “many people overseas make plans every year to come to Tonga during the Heilala Festival. They feel that this is a good time to be in Tonga. We want to foster that feeling, as a new spirit of cooperation could help further boost the tourism industries and our economy in general”. He added that “the 30th Heilala Festival will be a great opportunity to promote Tongan busi-ness and communities”.

The Heilala Festival was first organised in 1980 by the Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism) to celebrate the birthday of His Late Majesty’s King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV.

The now annual Heilala Festival would not have been made possible without the support of the local businesses,

airlines, banks, tourism operators, government departments and commu-nity groups both locally and from abroad. ▪

Photo: Miss Heilala 2009 (Paea Wilhelmina Wil-liams) with the grandchildren of Finau Walter from Lindsays Guest House in Ha'apai

Photo: The Heilala flower, which is the Kingdom of Tonga’s national flower.

Photo: Miss Heilala Pageant Contestants 2008

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Tonga: the 60th Commonwealth nation to be handed the Queen’s Baton

The Queen’s Baton Delhi 2010 will arrive in the Kingdom of Tonga on Wednesday 19th May, 2010. Tonga will be the 60th member country out of 71 of the Commonwealth of Nations to participate in the Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi (3-14 October).

The QBR, one of the greatest traditions of the Commonwealth Games, has been the curtain raiser for the Common-wealth Games since Cardiff, Wales in 1958. Over the years, the Queen’s Ba-ton Relay has evolved into a powerful symbol of unity and diversity of the Commonwealth of Nations. With each Commonwealth Games, the tradition of the relay grows in scale and significance – visiting more nations, involving more participants and generating more ex-citement than ever before.

The Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi commenced from Buckingham Palace, London, on the 29 October 2009. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II entrusted the baton, containing her “message to

the athletes”, to the first honorary Baton-bearer.

By the end of its journey, the Baton will have passed through thousands of hands, and travelled by different modes of transport across land, air

and sea. It will have also traversed over 190,000 kilometres in 340 days, making the Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi one of the longest relays in the history of the Commonwealth Games. The Relay will conclude at the opening cere-mony of the Commonwealth Games, when the final Baton-bearer enters the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and hands the baton back to Her Majesty (or her representative). Her Majesty’s message will be removed from the baton and the message is read aloud. At that moment the relay ends and the Games officially begin.

The international sector for the Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 Delhi is a joint initiative of the Organizing Com-mittee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi in partnership with the Common-wealth Games Federation (CGF) and locally with the Tonga Commonwealth Games Association (CGA).

The Tonga Commonwealth Games Association are still finalising the names of baton bearers and the route for each run/walk. Lord Tupou, President of the

Tonga Commonwealth Games Associa-tion (CGA) said “I am delighted Tonga will be hosting the baton. The Tonga’s leg of the relay has the potential to be watched by millions of people from all over the world, thanks to the Baton’s interactive web based technologies and the media attention it is expected to generate. Our involvement in this excit-ing event provides the entire commu-nity with the opportunity to highlight and promote Tonga to the rest of the world.”

The Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism) is proud to be supporting the event. International delegates will re-ceive TongaHoliday.com information packs on the Kingdom of Tonga. As since Tonga will have its own stand and desk at the Commonwealth Games in October, prospective holiday makers will be able to pick up their own Tonga-Holiday.com travel guide and/or watch three landmark documentaries (also available for local viewing at the Tonga Visitors Bureau) on Tongan culture and history.

Click here for further information about the Queen’s Baton Relay. Click here to see the Baton route. Click here for more info on the 2010 Common-wealth Games in Delhi. ▪

Tonga hosted the closing of the Emerging Pacific Leaders’ Dialogue (EPLD) 2010

The Emerging Pacific Leaders’ Dialogue (EPLD) 2010 opened in Samoa on Thursday 11 March. The event ran for two weeks and the closing plenary ses-sion was held in the Kingdom of Tonga. HRH Princess Anne, from Britain, vis-ited Tonga from March 20-23 to attend the closing ceremony.

About EPLD

The intensive, exciting and intellectually

demanding program brought together 120 individuals to examine, discuss and report on current strategic issues across the Pacific.

“Navigating Our Future Together’ was the theme of EPLD, which conveys the idea of charting a course, working to-gether, and negotiating the shifting tides and currents. The program focused on a number of subthemes including eco-nomic growth; regional co-operation and infrastructure; governance and leadership; security; stabilising and

strengthening communities; climate and environment, and industry education and health. HRH the Duke of Edinburgh was the founder of the Commonwealth Study Conferences. The first Commonwealth Study Conference was held in Oxford United Kingdom in 1956 as a one-off experiment to study the human aspects of industrial issues across Common-wealth countries. Following a long his-tory of Commonwealth Study Confer-ences since 1956, it was decided in

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EPLD continued

2005 that a similar leadership develop-ment conference should be initiated for the Pacific region. As a result, the first EPLD was held in the region in 2006. HRH the Duke of Edinburgh noted that the objective of EPLD “is for members to look, listen and learn in the hope that the process will help them to im-prove the quality of their decision-making when they reach the peaks of their occupations”.

Opening of EPLD in Samoa Participants from the Kingdom of Tonga as well as American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, East Timor, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Poly-nesia, Guam, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, North-ern Marianas, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu attended the opening in Samoa.

Mishka Tu’ifua, Chairperson of the Emerging Pacific Leaders Tonga Steering Committee, confirmed said that seven Tongans from across the public and private sector participated in the con-ference. The Tongan participants are Talita Tu’ipulotu, Siale ‘Ilolahia, Sione ‘Akau’ola, Vanessa Heleta, Tuna Likiliki, Mele ‘Amanaki and Dr ‘Ungatea Kata.

“EPLD is an opportunity to network with other people from our diverse Pacific culture to share ideas on what more we can do for our countries in all areas of development,” said Talita Tu’ipulotu an Assistant Secretary at the Tonga Royal Constituency Boundaries Commission.

Case Study on Tonga After the opening, participants were divided into ten groups. Each group then began their case study on either the Kingdom of Tonga, Australia, New Zealand, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea or Samoa.

Mrs Clare Mafi, Secretary of Tonga Tourist Association and the Ministry of

Tourism’s EPLD representative, pre-sented a case study on the Kingdom of Tonga’s contribution to sustainable economic growth and business develop-ment in the Pacific region.

Mrs Mafi’s gave an overview of Tongan history, culture, people and tourism activities available. She then presented an overview of investment initiatives of the past, present, future and beyond. The Tonga case study group looked at number and type tourism operators in Tonga; room occupancy rates; the his-tory of air tourist arrivals by market and month; foreign exchange earnings from tourism, and future investment opportunities in the Kingdom of Tonga.

The Tonga case study participants visited the Kingdom

Following the opening of EPLD in Sa-moa, Mrs Mafi happily escorted the case study participants to the Kingdom of Tonga on Saturday 13 March. The Par-ticipants involved in the Tongan case

study embarked on a familiarisation tour of the Kingdom and learned about economic growth; regional co-operation and infrastructure; govern-ance and leadership; security; stabilising and strengthening communities; climate and environment, and industry educa-tion and health.

On Monday 15 March, the participants met the Hon Fineasi Funaki at the Min-istry of Tourism for afternoon tea. Then Mr Sakopo Lolohea, CEO of the Ministry of Tourism, held an open fo-rum session.

The session covered key milestones in the tourism industry, including setting up the Ministry of Tourism and appoint-ing a Minister in 2006; Tonga’s open sky policy (no national airlines); 50,000 air visitor arrivals in 2009; total number of rooms available exceeding 800; average expenditure per tourist TOP$1045 (2005); visiting friends and relatives spending more than tourists; US tour-ists spending more than AU/NZ tour-ists, and Warwick hotels/resorts to be built in Vava’u.

Mr Lolohea reviewed the issues that participants highlighted as being major obstacles to the development of tour-ism, including cost of domestic flights; resort facilities; high interest rates; a relatively small marketing budget; land ownership system; way to do business in Tonga; that Tonga seems to be rela-tively unknown; distance from major source markets, and Tonga’s Sunday law.

Mr Lolohea also looked at opportuni-ties for the tourism industry, including additional international air services to Tonga; additional domestic air services to Tonga; the development of hotels and resorts; more employment for the local people; village participation in pro-viding tourism services (including tradi-tional buffet dinners and cultural enter-tainment), and additional air visitors, excursionist and yacht visitors.

Photo: Participants of Tonga’s tourism case study. Front row from left: Jean Pipite, Tjibaou Cultural Centre in New Caledonia; Hon Fineasi Funaki, Minis-ter for Tourism; Lesina Aleki Filipo, Group Leader from the Tonga Study Tour; Kila Pidi, Oil Search Ltd in Papua New Guinea; Sakopo Lolohea, CEO of the Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism).

Back row from left: Clare Mafi, Secretary of Tonga Tourist Association and the Ministry of Tourism’s EPLD representative; Julian Chonigolo, National Ar-chives of Solomon Islands; Adrian Ali, Executive Man-ager Commercial at Chathams Pacific Domestic Air-lines; Carole Cholai, PNG Oil Palm Research Assoca-tion Inc; Helen Te Hira, New Zealand Council of Track Unions; Ashwin Vikash Nand, lecturer from Fiji National University; Josie Tamate, on study leave from the Government of Niue; Tiffany Greene, The Gnome Project Australia; Dr Viali Lameko, Oceania University of Medicine Samoa and Samoa National Health Ser-vices; Siosaia Moehau, President of Tonga Tourist Association; Sam Tatafu from Deep Blue Diving.

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EPLD continued

Tonga’s coordination for the EPLD 2010 event was led by a local organising Committee comprising public sector and private sector individuals, with the private sector represented by the Tonga Chamber of Commerce & Indus-try (TCCI). TCCI facilitated the first EPLD study tour in 2006, and in part-nership with Government was a suc-cessful bidder to host the Closing Cere-mony in Tonga for the EPLD 2010. Mr Paula Taumoepeau, President of Tonga Chamber of Commerce & Industry, noted Tonga’s hosting of EPLD in 2010 helped to strengthened the partnerships “between the private sector and the Government of Tonga, for the promo-tion and development of Tonga”.

HRH Princess Anne attended the two-day closing ceremony of EPLD Britain’s HRH Princess Anne, was wel-comed with a Guard of Honour to the Fa’onelua Convention Centre in Nu-ku’alofa on Monday 22 March, where the 10 EPLD study groups had gathered to present their findings before the closure of a two-week conference.

Royal Corps of Musicians from Tonga Defense, and brass bands from a num-ber of local schools, then led the wel-

coming parade for HRH Princess Anne and 150 guest speakers, organisers and participants. Primary school children cheered for Princess Anne and Princess Pilolevu as they arrived in the car that HM King George Tupou V used during his coronation. Photos of the welcome can be found here.

HRH Princess Pilolevu noted that “EPLD provides a good example of collective forum, as we the Pacific peo-ple cannot face globalisation on our own. It requires collective strength and partnership and the program for emerg-ing leaders embraces that collabora-tion”.

Excerpts from HRH Princess Anne ad-dress to the delegates at the closing of EPLD can be found below. The original transcript can be obtained through the Ministry of Information.

“Your Royal Highness Princess Pilolevu, Prime Minister, Ladies and Gentlemen, Delegates, well firstly, can I thank you for your generous words and it has been a real pleasure to be back in Tonga. I would like to spend some more time here as I did the first time around [in 1970], and [in] four days I have learned a great deal more

about Tonga. I have to say that [Tonga] is one of the Friendliest places that you could ever go. So, I am delighted to have the opportunity to renew my acquaintances.”

“The Opening, the Study Tour Visits and the Closing have all been extremely suc-cessful and the result of a lot of hard work. So, can I thank as well, from my own per-spective and I hope from yours, all those who’ve make contribution in time and ef-forts and help. To the Governments of the Pacific Regions, particularly to the Govern-ment of Tonga and the Government of Samoa, as well as to the Australian and New Zealand Governments for their sup-port for this initiative makes a real differ-ence to our Future Leaders in your Region and I hope that it will continue.”

“I have been most impressed by the enthu-siasm, commitment, interest and intellec-tual capacity of the participants for this second EPLD, demonstrated by the variety and the scope of your presentations. Thank you for what you have contributed. You have approached it in your extremely pro-fessional manner. And the challenges that you faced, just getting around, with cy-clones not withstanding. You have experi-enced one of the real features, which peo-ple who don’t live in the Pacific Region really can’t quite grasp, which is the diffi-culty of actually getting round, of being able to communicate, to visit, to get together, to share experience and knowledge. You have made great strikes in doing that and I thank you very much.”

“I do wish you well with translating your experience, you enjoyment, your friendships in the most positive kind of future, for you and to those you shared this tour with. Good traveling and good fortunes to each of you. I see you continue in your careers, whatever your career structure, up the leadership ladder. We may well cross again in the future and we can all share some of those experiences. What it’ done for you? And how your attitudes have changed? And where it led you? That will be really nice and I hope that it will happen through more in EPLD conferences.” ▪

Photo: Emerging Pacific Leaders’ Dialogue (EPLD) 2010. Thanks to Matangi Tonga for allowing the Tonga Visitors Bureau to use this photo.

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Kingdom of Tonga, the Embassy of Japan hosted a fantastic (free) con-cert by two renown Japanese musicians on Saturday 20 and Monday 22 March.

Mr Sakamoto played the Wadaiko drums. The Wadaiko is big wooden drum played with 2 rods. It is played during many different festivals but re-cently concerts with many Taikos (drums) played simultaneously are or-ganised in Japan as well as abroad.

Ms Tadano played the Shamisen, a three stringed musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Shamisen is similar in length to a guitar but its neck is much slimmer and without frets.

Ms Tadano played both traditional Japa-nese folk songs (Minyo), as well as origi-nal pieces on the Tsugaru Shamisen. Ms Tadano’s traditional Minyo songs de-picted the life and feelings of older Ja-pan, centering around the themes of love, family and the close connection with nature. Ms Tadano original pieces explored feeling and experiences through melodic notes and offered heart pounding beats.

Volunteers from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) entertained the crowd during the interval by per-forming a dance called Yosakoi, which is a highly energetic team dance that com-

bines traditional Japanese dance move-ments with modern music.

After interval, Mr Sakamoto and Ms Tadanoeven audience members up on stage to learn some Japanese beats and play the drums.

The event was a fitting way to celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations be-tween Japan and the Kingdom of Tonga. The two countries established diplo-matic relations in 1970, and have since exchanged frequent high-level political visits. In fact, the Imperial family of Ja-pan and the Royal family of Tonga de-veloped a cordial and personal relation-ship over the years with the last King of Tonga, His Majesty King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, paying 7 visits to Japan during his reign.

For the last 10 years, the Embassy of Japan funded training on eco and sus-tainable tourism for the Ministry of Tourism. In addition to this, Japan has provided grants and technical coopera-tion (in the form of the JICA volunteer program) to other industries.

One of the most prominent aspects of the friendly relationship between Japan and the Kingdom of Tonga is sports, especially in Rugby and Sumo wrestling (Japanese style wrestling). Japan’s Minis-try of Foreign Affairs notes that several popular Tongan Rugby identities play for top Japanese university and a couple of Tongan players are even members of the Japanese national rugby team! Addi-tionally, a Rikishi (traditional Japanese wrestler) of Tongan descent, Musashi-

maru, reached the top rank of Yoko-zuna (grand champion) in the traditional world of Sumo. The wrestler is widely known all over Japan.

And now Japan’s musicians, Mr Saka-moto and Ms Tadano, are known all over the Kingdom of Tonga!

Mr Sakamoto is currently based in Mel-bourne, Australia, and is studying under renowned conductor Takashi Fukunda. His earlier performances followed the tradition of Kumamoto Fujisaki Shrine Festival Style. Later he established his unique style through study and collabo-rations with various Taiko groups in Japan. He formed the group Wadaiko Rindo in 1996 and they performed at the Melbourne International Festival in 1999 and received a Music Award at the Melbourne Fringe Festival in 2004. They have also performed in Fiji, New Caledonia and China.

Ms Tadano has been playing Shamisen since she was 6 years old and has per-formed in Japan and at festivals and events all over Australia. She has been noted for her ability and drive to cross over between traditional and modern Japanese music and has recently per-formed with renown blues and jazz musicians as well as traditional Japanese musicians.

On top of that, Ms Tadano regularly travels to primary and secondary schools all over Australia to conduct interactive workshops with students on Japanese music, culture and history. ▪

Photo: JICA volunteers

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Japan and Tonga celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations

Photo: Ambassador of Japan, HE Mr Yasuo Takase, with Ms Noriko Tadano, Mr Toshinori Sakamoto and Mr Akira Ouchi, Counsellor/Charge d’Affairs Interim (Deputy Head of Mission)

Photo: A music lesson with Mr Toshinori Sakamoto

The Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism) has undergone a face lift and installed a movie viewing area, an online travel kiosk and a new photo exhibition.

Online Travel Kiosk

In addition to talking to the very friendly and ex-perienced tourism staff at

Tonga’s national tourist office (NTO), travellers can now use a computer ki-osk to find information on the official (public and private sector) travel and tourism websites for the Kingdom of Tonga (TongaHoliday.com and TheK-ingdomOfTonga.com).

Travellers can learn about Tonga’s cul-ture and history; find a whale watching, snorkeling/diving, sailing, kayaking, fish-ing, surfing or trekking adventure; find a traditional dinner and cultural show; find accommodation; find places to eat; find how to get around Tonga; learn about what’s on in Tonga, AND MORE!

Movie Viewing Area

The Tonga Visitors Bureau now has a comfortable seating area that allows travellers to relax and watch three landmark documentaries on Tongan history and culture.

The DVD compendium titled Talamalu ‘o e Fonua (Sacred Narratives of Tonga), features the following documentaries:

• Tuku Fonua (The Land Given to God). This documentary celebrates the singular moment in history called Tuku Fonua. In Pouono (in Vava’u), King Taufa’ahau Tupou I (a Christian convert) gave the Kingdom of Tonga to the God of Heaven and Earth (the new protector and guardian of the King’s people).

• Kava Kuo Heka (The Royal Kava Ceremony of Tonga). This docu-mentary gives insights into, and ap-preciation for, the ancient and tradi-tional royal kava ceremony of the Kingdom of Tonga.

• Haka He Langi Kuo Tau (We Dance in the Ecstasy of Singing). The traditional dances and songs of the Kingdom of Tonga are presented in an extraordinary performance held during the celebration of His Majesty King Tupou IV’s 80th birthday cele-brations.

The special 2 DVD compendium was specially created for the Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism) by the Brigham Young University in Hawaii, The Pacific Institute and the Polynesian Cultural Center.

Photographic Exhibition

10 new and large photo-graphs show Tonga’s historical sites, unique landscapes, handicrafts, rites of passage, traditional dancers/performers and activities (eg whale watching, kayak-ing, kart safaris and surfing).

After the World Expo in Shangai China (1 May – 31 October), travellers will also be able to see a replica 10 metre humpback whale and a life size replica of the Ha’amonga ‘a Maui Trilithon at the Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism).

On top of that, travellers will be able walk into the middle of rows of Tongan dancers performing the Lakalaka for the King. The Lakalaka, depicted on six 2.4 by 1.2 metre vertical panels specially, will be life size and will create an inti-mate atmosphere. Plus, the cultural significance of the Lakalaka will be ex-plained by UNESCO’s 2003 proclaima-tion that the Lakalaka is “Masterpiece of Humanity”. ▪

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Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism) gets a facelift

Photo: Entrance to the Tonga Visitors Bureau

Photo: Online travel kiosk

Photo: NZ family watching movies.

Photo: Inside the Tonga Visitors

Photo: Tonga's World Expo stage with large whale and life size Ha'amonga

Photo: 2.4 by 1.2 metre “Lakalaka” panels for the World Expo

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Chinese Embassy gives the Ministry some wheels

The Ministry of Tourism was fortunate to receive five motorbikes from the Chinese Ambassador on Friday 12 March, 2010. These motorbikes were handed over to the Minister of Tour-ism, Hon. Fineasi Funaki, by the Chinese Ambassador, HE. Mr. Fan Guijin. When

handing over the mo-torbikes, Mr Guijin stressed the impor-tance of tourism in the Kingdom. He noted “tourism in the King-dom of Tonga has great potential and a con-certed effort is needed from everybody to promote it. The King-dom of Tonga is a small island country but it has plenty of natural scenic spots”.

Mr Guijin, whilst stressing the impor-tance of tourism to the

Kingdom, also noted the need for the Ministry and the tourism industry to tap into the Chinese market. He said that ”it is important we get tourists from China [to come to the Kingdom of Tonga]. 40-50 million Chinese go out-

side their country each year. If we man-age to get 1% of them to come to the Kingdom of Tonga, it would have a big impact on the tourism industry”.

In receiving the motorbikes, Mr Funaki thanked the Chinese Ambassador for China’s generous donations and help throughout the years. ”On behalf of the Ministry, I wish to extend to you our sincere appreciation for this kind dona-tion. I note the support and encourage-ment that you have extended to our Ministry in the past few years” said Mr Funaki.

The Minister also commented “we are a small Ministry and these motorcycles will enable the Ministry’s staff to visit sites and carry out their duties. I thank you for your contribution once again and look forward to working with you for many more years to come”. ▪

The US Embassy in Suva announced that it is inaugurating a pilot program to interview applicants for nonimmigrant visas in Nuku’alofa, Tonga. The pilot program will be officially launched by Steven McGann (United States Ambas-sador to Tonga) and Frankie Reed (Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs) at an opening ceremony at the Fa’one-lua Convention Centre in Nuku’alofa on Monday March 29, 2010.

A request for such a project was dis-cussed in May 2008 by the Hon DR Feleti Sevele (Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Tonga) and Condeleeza Rice (former Secretary of State) in Washington DC.

The Embassy encourages those in Tonga wishing to participate in the pilot nonimmigrant visa program to take particular note of the following condi-tions:

• During the pilot phase, only appli-cants for specific types of visas will be able to participate. Although inter-views will be held in Nuku’alofa, all case processing (including any actual visa issuance and placement in pass-port) will take place in Suva.

• Since this is a new program, the proc-essing time is undetermined. Thus applicants who need to travel at a specified time or do not meet the criteria for an appointment in Tonga, should still plan to apply in person at the U.S. Embassy in Suva, Fiji.

Complete instructions for participating in this program, including a list of the visa categories which will be accepted for interviews in Nuku’alofa, will be posted on the U.S. Embassy website. Applicants who meet the requirements for an appointment in Nuku’alofa will be notified by email with further instruc-tions as well as the date, time, and loca-tion of their interview appointment.

Please click here to review the eligibility criteria for the pilot Non-Immigrant Visa interview program in Nuku’alofa, Tonga.

Pilot Program for Nonimmigrant visas in Tonga

Photo: HE. Mr Fan Guijin (Chinese Ambassador) with Hon. Fineasi Funaki (Minister for Tourism).

>> Business and Marketing


CEO Update

Malo e lelei , Welcome to our April edition of the Kingdom of Tonga’s tourism community newsletter. It is just over 2 months now since I have taken up the role of CEO. It has been quite a challenge and yet very interesting. Despite the budget cuts by the Govern-ment in March, we managed to con-tinue reviewing policy and development issues as well as marketing and promo-tional initiatives for the overall tourism Industry. Air tourist arrivals I am encouraged by the support and understanding from both our local tour-ism community and our overseas part-ners. During my visit to NZ in the last week of March, I met several wholesal-ers in Auckland and their assessment of Tonga’s current position in the New Zealand market was quite shocking. Feedback showed that Tonga has been downgraded as a desirable destination, which has reflected in our arrival fig-ures. We all need to work extra hard not just in New Zealand but Australia and the US as well. Tonga’s January/February 2010 arrivals have been published here on the Minis-try’s website (www.tongaholiday.com) and in this newsletter. I am concerned that these trends may continue, which will certainly affect our target (of 10% growth) for the year. I am certain that our upcoming advertising in “Kia Ora”, in conjunction with our proposed wholesalers support and planned famils to Tonga (outlined below), will have a positive impact on our air arrivals over

the next six months. NZ26/27 Route The joint Tonga, Samoa and Air New Zealand Task force met in Auckland on the 30 March to discuss the route per-formance and new arrangements be-yond October 2010. The discussion is still ongoing and a new proposal from the Government of Tonga and Samoa is in development (in conjunction with Eagle-I (Airlines Consultants) in Auck-land). The proposal will be discussed by both the Tongan and the New Zealand Government s prior to submission to Air New Zealand before the end of the April. Joint marketing initiatives During my visit to NZ in the last week of March, I met with Air New Zealand’s South Pacific Product Manager and Pa-cific Blue’s Regional Sales Manager to discuss joint promotional efforts in the next financial year. Angela Afeaki (the Ministry’s NZ Rep) and I also met with tour wholesalers to develop promotional packages on Tonga (Our Pacific; House of Travel; Infinity Holidays; Go Pacific). The meet-ings were successful. We are organising (in partnership with Pacific Blue and Air New Zealand) an educational tour of Tonga for NZ later this year, as well as joint roadshow and sales calls around August this year. Similar marketing pro-grams has been discussed with Pacific Blue for Australian agents. IFC diagnostic study The IFC (part of the World Bank Group), is currently undertaking a Tourism Sector Diagnostic assessment in Tonga in association with the Minis-try of Tourism. The aim of the project is to identify issues that are constraining the development of the tourism indus-try, with a view to determining solu-tions that can be supported through future assistance programs. Tim Martin from the IFC (World Bank Group) is in Tonga conducting re-search, in partnership with the Tonga Visitors Bureau, into the relevant barri-ers to tourism development by com-pleting our tourism impediments sur-

vey. You can access the survey online here. Alternatively, please contact Kepreen Ve'etutu from the Tonga Visitors Bu-reau for a printable version of the sur-vey, via [email protected] and +676 25334. Any feedback you can provide will go some way in developing a more robust and sustainable tourism sector in a very unique and emerging tourism destina-tion. Work with the public sector The Ministry of Tourism continues to be the Government operated National Tourist Office and leads the promotion and development of the tourism indus-try. In March, we worked closely with the two private sector organisations on various promotional activities including ‘Eva Mai, the Emerging Pacific Leaders Dialogue (EPLD), the visiting journalist program, training and development initiatives and travel trade expos. In the long term, we are committed to work-ing closely with the public sector World Expo With the opening World Expo coming up on 1 May, work is in progress in organizing the four Tonga staff to man the Tonga booth. They will traveling on 20 April for induction program prior to the opening on the 1 May, 2010. Other programs for the National Day on 2 August are well underway, with the Cultural performance team now pre-paring for this forthcoming trip. Climate change adaption project In March, I met with Dr Min Jiang, from Centre for Tourism and Services Re-search for Victoria University in Mel-bourne. Dr Jiang is conducting a study, funded by AusAID, which seeks to strengthen the resilience of the Pacific Island tourism sector against the im-pacts of climate change. The Ministry of Tourism provided ex-tensive information and admin re-sources, which ensured Dr Jiang’s re-search project ran smoothly and that Dr Jiang met all of the right people whilst she was in the Kingdom of

Ministry of Tourism CEO: Mr Sakopo Lolohea



Tonga. To learn more about the project or to contribute, please see here. Cruise Wharf Development In March, I attended a meeting with the Tapu Panuve, who is the Consultant responsible for reviewing the final de-velopment of the Cruise Wharf at Vuna Jetty. Yacht Rallies Special efforts were made to address the issue with the rising fees incurred by visitors arriving by yacht. The annual New Zealand to Tonga has been opera-tional for over 20 years now and approx 30 yachts are expected to arrive in Pangaimotu on the 2nd week of May. At the same time Vava’u is expecting two World Cruise Rally, World Arc Cruising and Blue Water Rallies in May and June respectively. Annual New Zealand to Tonga Yacht Rally The Ministry of Tourism in promoting Tonga as a sailing destination is working closely with the International Cruising Association (ICA) in the upcoming Opua to Pangaimotu 2010 Yacht Rally.

The Annual New Zealand to Tonga Yacht Rally started 23 years ago by the then Tongan Market Representative in New Zealand, Mr Don Mundell. The Annual Rally when first started was to Royal Sunset Resort but about 3 years ago was re-directed to Pangaimotu Is-land. This year the yachts will start leaving Opua on the 1st of May and arriving at Pangaimotu on the 7th. It is anticipated that about 20 yachts with over 50 crews are taking part in this year’s rally. The Rally Coordinator, Mr. John Martin said that apart from the yachts partici-pating in the Opua to Pangaimotu Rally, a group of ICA boats is anticipated to leave New Zealand on or about the 30th of May, making their own way to Tonga this year. He added, that after experiencing the hospitality at Pangaimotu and Vava’u, some of the participants in last year’s rally are returning to cruise the waters of the Kingdom of Tonga. The Ministry is already working with the owners of Pangaimotu Island Re-sort, as well as ICA Coordinator, to

ensure the success and sustainability of this cruising market for Tonga. Mutiny of the Bounty The Ministry of Tourism is continuing to help the crew of the Talisker Bounty Boat 2010 Expedition with their prepa-rations and also with an itinerary for their videographer. The crew arrives in Tonga on Monday 12 April to prepare to re-create one of the most extraordinary stories of sur-vival and determination – Captain Wil-liam Bligh’s 3,700 mile open boat ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ voyage. The reenactment, following the journey across the Pacific from the Kingdom of Tonga to Timor, will launch on Wednesday 28 April - the same day, at the same time and in the same place 221 years after the original mutiny jour-ney. I wish the crew (Don McIntyre, Chris-topher Wilde, Peter Stier, Stuart Ker-shaw, David Wilkinson and David Pryce) the best of luck the coming days and a safe journey to the Kingdom of Tonga. ▪

CEO Update



Tonga air visitors statistics for January and February 2010 This is a study of the Kingdom of Tonga’s air visitor statistics for January and February 2010. Highlights:

• The top three markets who brought in the total air visitor arrivals are NZ, Australia and United States of Amer-ica for January and February 2010.

• Visiting Friends and Relatives domi-nated the share of the air arrival visi-tors in both January and February 2010.

• A total of 51.92% increase in foreign exchange earnings was experienced for January and February 2010 com-pared to the similar months in 2008 and 2009 in spite of the global eco-nomic crisis.

Air Visitors Arrivals

Notes:

• A total of 8.86% fall in air visitor arri-vals in January & February 2010 com-pared to January & February 2009

• A slight fall of air visitor arrivals by 1.76% in January 2010 and decrease of 17.46% in February 2010 com-pared to respective months of Janu-ary 2009 and February 2009.

• The NZ, Australia and the United States of America markets dominates the largest shares of the air visitor arrivals in January and February 2010.

• The largest increase in January ac-counted for 34.57% of the Fijian mar-ket with a slight increase of 4% by the New Zealand market.

• The fall of January 2010 is contrib-uted by the relative decrease of 24.23% by the Australian market

• For the relative decline of 17.46% in February 2010, the dominant markets experienced comparative falls by 32.85% decrease in the Australian market, 10.75% decrease in the New Zealand market and a slight decrease by 1.95% by the USA market.

• Japan with an increase of 33.33% and other European countries by 25.45% were the only markets experienced positive growths in February 2010 compared to February 2009.

Purpose of visit

Notes:

• The VFR market largely dominates the purpose of visit of air visitor arri-vals for both January & February 2009 and in January & February 2010.

• Holidaymakers accounts for the sec-ond reason why air visitors visit Tonga followed by the business air arrivals in January & February in 2009 and 2010.

• The air visitors who visit for employ-ment, conference and educational purposes contributes the least num-ber of arrivals both in January & Feb-ruary 2009 and 2010.

Foreign exchange earnings

Notes:

• Despite the economic global down-turn, A total of 51.92% increase in foreign exchange earnings was ex-perienced for January and February 2010 compared to the similar months in 2008 and 2009

• The Foreign Exchange Earnings has improved by 41% for January and February 2010 compared to the simi-lar months in 2008 by 35% and 24% in 2009.

• A marked increase of 72.41% of for-eign exchange was experienced in January 2010 compared to January 2009.

• Similar growths experienced by Feb-ruary 2010 in terms of foreign ex-change earnings with a 26.09% com-pared to February 2009. ▪

2008 2009 2010 % change

Jan 4,200,000 2,900,000 5,000,000 72.41

Feb 2,600,000 2,300,000 2,900,000 26.09

Total 6,800,000 5,200,000 7,900,000 51.92

Table 1: Tourist Receipts in January and February 2008 – 2010

Graph 1: Total Air Visitor Arrivals for January and February 2009

Graph 2: Total Air Visitor Arrivals for January and February 2010

Graph 3: Purpose of Visit by Country of Residence for Air Visitor Arrivals in January & February 2009

Graph 4: Purpose of Visit by Country of Residence for Air Visitor Arrivals in January & February 2010

Graph 4: Tourist Receipts in January and February from 2008 – 2010



The Ministry of Tourism’s Corporate Plan (2010 – 2012)

The Ministry of Tourism have finalised their Corporate Plan (2010 – 2012). The Corporate Plan defines the Minis-try of Tourism’s core functions and describes what the Ministry does every day in collaboration and cooperation with the tourism community (locally and abroad). Specifically, the Corporate Plan outlines the Ministry of Tourism’s vision, mission and values. The Corpo-rate Plan also explains the National Strategic Development Framework (NSDF), as well the Ministry of Tour-ism’s objectives, key performance indi-cators, activities, resources and divi-sions.

Mr Sakopo Lolohea, CEO/Director of the Ministry of Tourism, noted “The tourism community in the Kingdom of Tonga faces many challenges but most, if not all, can be solved through collabo-ration and cooperation between Gov-ernment, aid donors and the private sector. The Ministry recognises that at this stage the private sector is still very small and the steady hand of the Gov-ernment is still important in moving the industry forward in key areas – destina-tion marketing, policy and regulation, tourism intelligence, training and plan-ning and development.”

The Ministry of Tourism is confident that it can implement this corporate plan within the timelines and budget allocated by Government, NEDC and

the aid donors.

Below is a summary of the Ministry of Tourism’s vision, mission, values and objectives.

Vision The Ministry of Tourism’s single vision is to “drive the promotion and develop-ment* of the tourism community locally and abroad”.

* Meaning economic benefits, quality experiences and must see destination, environmentally/culturally sustainable products/services.

Mission

The Ministry of Tourism’s mission is to:

• Market the Kingdom of Tonga via a unique selling proposition

• Facilitate economic growth • Deliver both tangible and intangible

economic benefits • Practice good governance (ie via stra-

tegic management, policy regulations and guidelines)

Values

The Ministry of Tourism’s values are:

• Scalable, effective and efficient cus-tomer service

• Team work and partnership (collaboration/cooperation)

• Communication and connectivity • Integrity and honesty • Accountability • Passion, commitment and loyalty Objectives The Ministry of Tourism’s objectives are:

1. Customer

• Increase visitors (air, cruise-ships, yacht) to Tonga

• Increase customer satisfaction with the Ministry’s services

• Increase marketing activities and visi-tor targets in all target markets

• Strengthen the Ministry’s leadership • Improve partnership with local pri-

vate sector • Establish good communication with

Government and private sectors • Increase joint marketing activities

with airlines • Increase joint marketing activities

with the South Pacific Tourism Or-ganization (SPTO)

2. Financial

• Increase marketing budget to $4.1m • Obtain additional budget from NEDC • Increase joint Government and pri-

vate sector projects • Implement NZaid tourism projects

within budget and on time 3. Internal business process

• Restructuring of the Ministry • Recruitment of new staff 4. Learning and growth

• Increase access to strategic informa-tion

• Increase access to training • Establish and increase staff satisfac-

tion • Improve internal communication Request Your Copy To request a full copy of the Ministry of Tourism’s Corporate Plan (2010 – 2012), please contact Kepreen Ve’etutu via [email protected] ▪

Photo: Some of the team at the Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism)



Education & Training Division The Education & Training Division is strongly focusing on the

concept that the usefulness of training is that the trainees

change their behaviors for the better in carrying out their

work.

In House Training on Customer Service

The Ministry holds at least a couple of weekly training ses-

sions for appropriate staff. Our training time is from 8:30 –

9:00 am on Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Staff from Palu Aviation have been attending joined our in-

house training sessions, which so far have covered introduc-

tions, communicating on the telephone, dealing with conflict

situations and working with colleagues and customers.

In House Training on Online Marketing

Over the past six months, our resident Google expert has

trained quite a number accommodation owners and tourism

operators in creating a strategic marketing plan, Google Ana-

lytics, Google Adwords, website optimisation and numerous

other things.

On Site Training

For the past months, the Education & Training Division con-

ducted 3 (2-3 hours) training sessions on-site with tourism

operators such as Likualofa Beach Resort at Hihifo.

Contact Us

The Education and Training Division are committed to im-

proving the service levels in our tourism industry. There-

fore, we invite you to work together with us in developing

and improving our tourism products through effective pro-

ductive, consistent and ongoing training. See our training,

learning and development modules below. For more infor-

mation OR to discuss/arrange a learning and development

session, please contact Mrs Katri Po’uliva’ati

([email protected]) and Mrs Tapu Tonga

([email protected]) or call +676 25 334. ▪

# Module Objectives

1 Work with Colleagues & Customers Develop interpersonal, communication and customer service skills.

2 The Tourism Industry Develop knowledge and skills to access, increase and update knowledge of the tourism industry.

3 Health, Safety & Security Develop knowledge of basic health, safety and security procedures.

4 Tourism Cultural Awareness Develop cultural awareness required for serving customers and working with colleagues.

5 Communicate on the Telephone Develop skills to effectively communicate on the telephone.

6 Deal with Conflict Situations Develop knowledge and skills required to handle difficult customers and colleagues.

7 Information & Advice: Tonga Develop skills to provide destination information and advice about Tonga to visitors.

8 Visitor Market Knowledge Develop knowledge of the location and features of the major visitor markets to Tonga.

9 Airport Operations & Facilities Review the operation of passenger facilities and services within an air-port environment.

10 Promote Tourism Products/Services Develop skills to promote products and services to customers.

11 Housekeeping Provide guests with housekeeping services.

12 Tour Guiding Develop the knowledge and skills required to work as a tour guide.

13 Google Adwords Learn how to manage your paid online advertising account.

14 Google Analytics Learn how consumers behave on your website and why.

Tips for improving your online marketing Every newsletter we will include Tips & Techniques that will help your staff focus and improve their Customer Ser-vice Skills. These tips and techniques are taken from our Customer Service Modules. You can enlarge the Tips into A3 or A4 large print and attach them to the Staff Notice or locations where it can be visible most times. They also serve as constant reminders for the staff.

A 10 Point Plan for RESPONDING to CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS:

1. Calm the customer first if necessary (often people are not themselves when they are dissatisfied or angry).

2. Listen carefully to the complaint without interrupting.

3. Repeat the key points so that the customer is confident you have the correct details

4. Respond to the customer with con-cern, and apologise if appropriate.

5. Decide on the best course of action. Explain what you can and cannot do. Fully discuss alternatives.

6. If possible, quickly resolve the com-plaint to the customer’s satisfaction.

7. If you cannot resolve the complaint quickly, do what you can and keep the customer informed of the action you are taking.

8. I f you cannot resolve the complaint personally, refer it to the most ap-propriate person. Again, inform the customer of the action you have taken.

9. Where possible, follow up the situa-tion to ensure that the matter is set-tled and the customer is satisfied.

10. Complete a complaint report form for your employer if required. ▪

Customer complaints



Google statistics suggest that in Austra-lia alone, 77% of all travel and tourism bookings involve online research. Google data also shows that the (broad match) keyword “tonga” is searched globally over 1,000,000 times a month. Thus, in order to compete effectively in the global market place, the Tongan tourism industry needs to maintain a strong online presence and remain up to date on the latest tends.

Recap

The Tonga Visitors Bureau’s March Newsletter included 3 handy hints on how to set up Google alerts; install Google Analytics, and monitor travel and tourism review sites. Click here if you missed our March newsletter to review our tips. Now it is time for April’s HOT tips ...

TIP 1: Create a marketing plan Develop a customized marketing plan for your business. Plus, learn how search marketing works and practice creating your first marketing campaign.

Follow 10 steps to understand how to promote your business online in as little as one hour. Use 10steps.com.au.

TIP 2: Understand what drives demand and seasonality

Use Google Insights for Search to com-pare search volume patterns across specific regions, categories, time frames and more. Click here to see examples

of how you can use Google Insights for Search.

May’s Tips

In our May newsletter, we will focus on understanding your Analytics data. So if you haven’t already, please install Google Analytics. It is a free service which gives you insights into your web-site traffic (i.e how many people are viewing your site, where they are from, how long they stay for and what pages they are looking at) and marketing ef-fectiveness.

For more information or to set up an account go to google.com/analytics and see the Google Analytics Help Centre for support.

Need Further Help?

The Tonga Visitor Bureau have part-nered with Tourism Tonga (a private sector umbrella for the Tongan tourism industry) to provide a free marketing advisory and training service.

If you would like any help in setting up a Google account, Google Alerts, Google Analytics or any other market-ing advice, contact the Tonga Visitors Bureau to arrange an advisory session with our resident Google expert or contact Tourism Tonga via [email protected]. ▪

>> Tourism Events


Date Travel Trade Show Place

30 Jan Flight Centre Travel Expo, Christchurch NZ

7 Feb Flight Centre Travel Expo, Wellington NZ

13-14 Feb Flight Centre Travel Expo, Auckland NZ

13-14 Feb LA Times Travel Show USA

20-21 Feb Adventure Travel & Backpacker Show, Mel-bourne

AU

27-28 Feb Sunday Mail Escape Holi-day & Snow Expo, Bris-bane

AU

6-7 Mar Sydney Travel Expo AU 8-13 Mar Pasifika Festival 2010 NZ 10-14 Mar ITB, Berlin DE 11-14 March Auckland Boat Show NZ

70 million visitors are expected to pass through the World Expo when it opens on the 1st of May 2010 [and closes on 31 October]. Tonga’s Booth is housed under the Pacific Pavilion and the theme of the Pacific Pavilion is ‘Pacific Ocean - Spring of Inspiration’. The theme reflects the beauty of the Pacific countries, their unique culture and sustainable lifestyle. The Pacific Pavil-ion is measured over 8,400 square metres making it the third largest pavilion after China and the African Pavilion. Four Tongan Staff are expected to depart for Shanghai within the next couple of weeks to attend an orienta-tion program and to set-up the Tonga Booth. More than 50 exhibits from Tonga had been shipped to Shanghai for the World Expo, including wood-carvings, a giant (8m x 6m) tapa/ngatu, selection of baskets, Tongan mats and Queen Salote Tupou III’s crown. Finally, the replica whale that will hang above Tonga’s Booth is ex-pected be installed soon, along with the life size replica of the Ha’amonga Trilithon (that will serve as the door-way to Tonga’s booth) AND the life size panels of Tongan dancers per-forming the “Lakalaka” for the King. ▪

World Expo Update

The Kingdom of Tonga was represented at the Auckland Boat Show on 11 to 14 March.

The Tonga Visitor Bureau’s Angela Afeaki, FAB [Car] Rentals and David Hunt from Tourism Tonga manned Tonga's stand. The Kingdom of Tonga’s stand was next to the Sunsail and Moorings stands. It was one of the biggest stands at the event and featured the private label travel guide for TongaHoli-

day.com, a video screen of the brand new aerial footage shot by Tourism Tonga over the Tongan Islands as well other handy in-formation for prospective holiday makers. Attendees also had access to Tourism Tonga’s website.

The Boat Show sold out all exhibitor space with a 15% increase on last year and at-tracted 5% more visitor numbers on last year. ▪

Review of Auckland Boat Show

The Kingdom of Tonga once again partici-pated at ITB - the largest trade show in Europe and the World’s leading travel trade show.

Europe has always been a consistently growing market for Tonga and the pres-ence at ITB became increasingly important over the last decade.

ITB is a platform for trade visitors – an excellent opportunity to meet tour opera-tors & wholesalers from various parts of Europe as well as business partners and to do business.

Since 2006, the south-pacific.travel has been coordinating the South Pacific Village at ITB for its member countries. Under the South Pacific Village, the Kingdom of Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands, Solomon and Vanuatu were housed. The construction of the Village was designed to depict Pacific

style/environment. Tonga’s unique culture, friendly people, pristine waters, exotic marine activities were highlighted at ITB.

The first few days of ITB 2010 was aimed exclusively at the travel trade and the last two days was open to the general public.

ITB 2010 hosted more than 11,000 exhibi-tors from around the world with approxi-mately 290,000 visitors (180,000 consum-ers and 110,000 trades) visited the show.

Maria Tu’itavake of Ezi World Holidays and Manatu Vivili of the Ministry of Tourism represented Tonga at ITB. ▪

Review of ITB Berlin

Expos attended to date Date Travel Trade Show Place

1 May - 31 Oct World Expo, Shanghai CN

18-21 May 'BULA' BFTE Port Dena-rau, Nadi FJ

14-17 Sep PATA Travel Mart, Macau MC

6-7 Nov Adventure Travel & Back-packer Expo, Sydney AU

17-20 Nov DEMA Las Vegas USA

TBC House of Travel Expo, Auckland NZ

Upcoming expos

Photo: Honorary Consul of Tonga in Germany, Mrs Maria Tu’itavake (EziWorld Holidays), Mrs Manatu Vivili (Tonga Visitors Bureau) and HE Dr Ngongo Kioa (Tongan High Commissioner in London).

>> Updates from travellers


Air New Zealand’s in flight magazine “Kia Ora”

In December 2009, New Zealand’s North and South Magazine ran a Tonga Holiday Competition and the winners received a seven night trip for two to Tongatapu and Vava’u in the Kingdom of Tonga.

Kerryn and Jamie Stephens, from Tau-ranga in New Zealand won the compe-tition. The Stephens arrived in the King-dom of Tonga on March 6 via and spent 8 days experiencing all the adventures

and delights that the Kingdom of Tonga offers to travellers.

The seven night trip was co-ordinated by the Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism). The Tonga Visitors Bureau would like thank the industry opera-tors, Air New Zealand and Chathams Pacific (domestic airline) for ensuring Kerryn and Jamie had a trip that was so good that that won’t forget it and want to come back to the Kingdom of Tonga soon.

The Stephens wrote to the Tonga Visi-tors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism) to tell us about their experiences while in the Kingdom of Tonga. Following is their letter.

We spent our first night at Loumaille Lodge in Nuku’alofa then the next morning we went by boat to Fafa Island Resort. We

couldn’t believe our eyes when we got off the boat and stepped into a slice of para-dise. Our fale was beautiful and we had our own private beach with loungers and a hammock to sit in and soak up the fabu-lous view. The hosts and staff were so helpful and nothing was a problem. Dining in the restaurant was a highlight for us as our table was on the deck right beside the water. The sunset and food were absolutely stunning, it was a memorable experience.

Competition winners will never forget the Kingdom of Tonga

From 20 - 24 March, the Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism) and Tour-ism Tonga hosted Matthew Philp, a New Zealand based travel writer writ-ing for the Air New Zealand in flight magazine Kia Ora.

Matthew’s visit included a tour of Ton-gatapu, courtesy of Kalia Travel and Tours, a trip to church on Sunday, and dinner at the Billfish Bar and Restau-rant.

Matthew spent Sunday night in at Fafa Island Resort and, then, on the Monday got active out on the water with Fatai Kayaks.

On Tuesday, Matthew accompanied the Honourable Fineasi Funaki (Minister for Tourism) and Mark Belvedere (from the Kalia Foundation) to ’Eua for the his-toric felling of a tree for Mark’s Kalia project. Matthew was also treated to a tour of the ’Eua by Hideaway’s Taki Hausia.

The Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism) would like to thank the fol-lowing people for their generous assis-tance during Matthew stay:

Tourism Tonga Kalia Travel and Tours Fatai Kayaks Lagoon Lodge Tali’eva Inn The Hideaway Ezyworld Travel The Billfish Bar and Restaurant Fafa Island Resort Liku’alofa Resort

About Kia Ora

Kia Ora, means 'hello and welcome' in Maori. Air New Zealand chose this name for its in-flight magazine because of its warm, relaxed and welcoming meaning.

Kia Ora covers topics such as travel, business, sport and lifestyle.

Air New Zealand customers can either read the magazine on the plane, or take it away to read at their leisure.

Keep an eye out for Matthew’s article in later issues of Kia Ora! ▪

Picture: March edition of Kia Ora.

Picture: December edition of North and South.

Photo: Kerryn and Jamie Stephens

The next day we flew to Vava’u flying Chat-hams Pacific and were collected at the airport by Bruno from the Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism). Bruno [from the Tonga Visitors Bureau in Vava'u] took us out to Lucky’s Beach Resort, which is owned by Kurt and Lynn. They were fan-tastic hosts and gave us a few tips on what to see and do. Our beach house was virtu-ally right by the water and we looked di-rectly across the stunning turquoise water to Mala Island. The house was self con-tained so you are able to self cater which was handy as it was about 20 minutes into town.

The next morning we did a snorkelling trip with Endangered Encounters which was absolutely amazing. The water was warm and we saw such beautiful coral, fish and reef life. After that we headed to Nuku

Island an uninhabited island in the Vava’u group. We snorkelled, swam and went ashore to investigate. It was so beautiful we didn’t want to leave! We spent a bit of time at the Coconet Café which had deli-cious food and the coldest Maka beer in town! That afternoon we kayaked up the inner Neiafu harbour and got to see the lovely boats as well as the cafes and bars along the shoreline. Later, we dined at the Balcony Restaurant and had superb ota ika (raw fish in coconut milk) and delicious fresh tuna.

We then moved on to Hakula Lodge and met the owners Jeff and Janine. We had a beautiful room (with air conditioning) look-ing out over the deck to the harbour which had the most amazing sunsets in the eve-nings.

The Kart Safari was heaps of fun and we got to see the back country and some of the wild and beautiful beaches on the east side of the island. The Enei’o Botanical Garden tour was extremely interesting, we got to learn the history of all the flora and fauna of Tonga and Lucy was such a de-lightful host. After the tour Lucy took us to the Beach restaurant where we were served chilled coconut milk and fish and chips with a view to die for, what a won-

derful experience!

We then did a sailing trip with Sterling Breeze and snorkelled at Swallows Cave which was an amazing experience. After a couple of tries at jumping off a moving tri-maran into very deep water, I quickly got the hang of snorkelling in the dark! We were lucky enough to get another trip to Nuku on the way back to do some more snorkelling.

In the morning before our flight back to Nuku’alofa, we had a tour of Mt Talau courtesy of Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism). The outer and inner harbour views from the top were stunning and the rope climb down was interesting, especially after the rain during the night!

After this action packed few days, it was back to Nuku’alofa courtesy of Chathams Pacific and on to Liku’alofa Resort. This was another highlight for us as we got to go to the Friday night dinner and show. The hostess of the show had the most amazing sense of humour and kept everyone in a state of laughter the whole evening. It was a real family affair and the food was simply delicious. The accommodation was lovely, the Tree Top Bar was great as well – it was simply tops all around.

We would like to thank Bruno [from the Tonga Visitors Bureau in Vava'u] and all the tour operators for the transfers to and from our accommodation and the interna-tional and domestic airports; we were very well looked after. We would also like to thank Air New Zealand and Chathams Pacific for getting us there and back, and everyone who supplied the accommodation and meals. Finally, a big thanks to Sandra and the Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism) for co-ordinating everything. We have met so many wonderful people and will never forget the experiences we had in the Kingdom of Tonga. We will be recom-mending Tongatapu and Vava’u as a holi-day destination to all our friends and family and we will definitely be back sometime soon. For more photos, please click here. ▪

>> Updates from travellers


Competition winners will never forget the Kingdom of Tonga continued

Photo: View from the deck at Hakula Lodge in Vava'u

Photo: Nuku Island, Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga

Pasikala Nuku’alofa’s Ride for Health will be held on Saturday 10 April and will kick off at 7am at Pangai Lahi in Nuku’alofa.

The 7.5km fun ride is an all ages event and all participants will receive a free refreshment and t-shirt!

The Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism) thinks bicycles are a great option for active tourists who want to explore Tonga’s sites. Locals and tour-ists without a bicycle might be able to hire one. See here for more info.

Program

• 7:00 am – Free registration and bicy-cle check

• 7:30 am – Opening prayer and wel-coming address

• 7:45 am – Start ride

• 9:00 am – Free refreshments and closing speech

Course

The fun ride starts and finishes at Pangai Lahi field (next to Westpac) in Nu-ku’alofa. The course is 7.5km. There will be a police escort.

Freebies

Participants will receive a free water and a t-shirt!

Fun Facts

Riding a bike is:

• A fun and easy way to get 30 minutes of daily exercise

• Good for your health, reducing risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease

• A cheap way to get around and good for the environment

Sponsors The sponsors are TCC, AusAID, Magic Signs, Hotel Nuku’alofa, Prema and Sons, Pangaimotu Island Resort, Minis-try of Health, Tonga Police and Teufaiva Bottlers.

Organiser

Pasikala Nuku’alofa encourages people to ride a bicycle and reduce traffic on the roads and thus reduce green house gas emissions. It also encourages in-creased physical activity and better health; advocates and facilitates educa-tion programs on bicycle safety, and provides education on bicycle mainte-nance to individuals and businesses. Finally, Pasikala Nuku’alofa aims to pro-vide as many Tongans as possible with access to cheaper, better quality bicy-cles.

For more information on Pasikala Nu-ku’alofa, email [email protected] or call +676 7731750.

>> Updates from the community


Ride For Health

Date Event Description 10 April Ride for Health See above for details.

24 April Children's Fun Fair 2010

The Rotary Fun Fair will raise funds for playground equipment for Fa’onelua Park and also support other Rotary community projects with a focus on Children. From 10am - 3pm at Mala ‘e Akoteu, Kolomotu’a (Vaha’akolo Road / next to FWC Centenary Church). For more info, contact Frank Schaper via +676 771-4657 or via [email protected]

5 June World Environ-ment Day

Tonga celebrates World Environment Day via a float parade and running clean up campaigns and awareness programs.

12 August

United Na-tions’ (UN) Inter-national Youth Day

Recognises the efforts of the world’s youth in enhancing global society and promotes ways to engage youth in becoming more actively involved in making positive contributions to their communities.

27 September World Tourism Day

Raise awareness on the role of tourism within the international community and to demonstrate how it affects social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide.

TBC National Sports Week Encourages Tongans to get active.

>> 2010 Events Calendars


Cultural Events Calendar Date Event Location Description

19 May Queen’s Baton Relay Delhi 2010 Common-wealth Games

Tongatapu Tonga will be the 60th Commonwealth nation to be handed the Queen’s Baton.

TBC July

National Arts & Crafts Festival TBC -

TBC July

Miss Galaxy Beauty Pageant Tongatapu

This is the Beauty Pageant Competition for the Fakaleitis. It is a very humorous event, so get ready to laugh your head off and admire the creativity of the Fakaleitis.

10 - 24 July Heilala Festival Tongatapu

Annual Tourism Festival organised this year to coincide with the Celebration of His High-ness, Crown Prince Tupouto'a's birthday on the 12th July. Cultural activities, beauty pageant, parades, sports and more!

27 July - 1 Aug

'Au Mei Moana - Re-turning Tides: The Cultural Heritage Exhibition

Fa'onelua Convention Centre, Nuku'alofa Tongatapu

This exhibition will be a point of contact between the public, artists and museums. The sto-ries shared through this exhibition and performances will highlight who we are as individuals within a local, national and global Tongan community. Organised by the Tongan Ministry of Education, Women’s Affairs & Culture and the Tonga Traditions Committee.

Oct TBC Pasifiki Trade Fair Tongatapu

Exhibition of the Kingdom of Tonga's history, culture, trade and handicrafts. Also invited are neighbouring Pacific Island countries.

Nov TBC

Queen Salote College Cultural Festival Tongatapu -

Dec TBC

Tourism Cultural Festival

Tongatapu, 'Eua, Ha'apai, Vava'u

A large cultural festival featuring traditional Tongan dance, music and handicrafts.

TBC Christmas Carol and Christmas Lightings TBC -

Religious Events Date Event Description

10-14 May Church of Tonga, Tongatapu

Annual church conference and social events for church member all over the world.

22-28 May

Free Church of Tonga An-nual Conference, Tongatapu Annual church conference.

21-25 May

Tonga Constitution Church Annual Conference, Tonga-tapu

Annual church conference.

21 June -

1 July

Free Wesleyan Church An-nual Conference, Tongatapu

Church leaders get together to formulate policies and plan strategies for future op-erations of the church. This conference is also a social event for local and overseas members of the church. Tongan feasting is a major part of this conference.

Fishing Events Calendar Date Event

17 - 23 Sep 19th Tonga International Billfish Tournament, Vava'u

21 - 26 Oct New Zealand Fishing News Tournament, Vava'u

27 Nov &

3 - 4 Dec

Tonga National Tournament, Nuku'alofa & Vava'u fish on the same days

Sailing Events Date Event Location Description

Starting April 28 Replica ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ Starting in Tofua Island (Ha'apai)

Don McIntyre is re-creating one of the most extraordinary stories of survival and determination – Captain William Bligh’s 4,000 mile open boat ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ voyage.

May - June 29th Island Cruising Association's Pacific Circuit Rally Nationwide Yacht Regatta to Nuku'alofa and Vava'u from New Zealand

24 June—6 July Blue Water Rally Vava’u - 3 - 9 June (intended)

World ARC Cruising Rally (World Cruising Club) Vava'u World ARC 2010 cruising rally visits Tonga in June 2010.

10 - 21 June 7th Kalia Yacht Rally Tonga Vava'u For more info, visit Mariner Boating Holidays.

Soccer Events



AFL Events

Rugby League Events

Date Event Location Description TBC April Pacific Rugby Cup TBC - 13 May Senior League Competition Tongatapu -

27 May Final Inter-College League Competi-tion Tongatapu -

TBC Inter-College Sports Competition Tongatapu Athletic sports competition between colleges held annually at Teufaiva Stadium

6,8,10 July Tonga Vs Australia Rugby League Competition Tongatapu

Under 19s & under 16s visiting team arrive on the 5th, depart 12th. 1st game on the 6th, 8th & 10th. Visiting teams are looking to play 3 games each.

25 September Rugby League Finals Tongatapu Senior finals for both divisions, prize presentation and after match

Date Event Location Description

2 April - 3 July Major League Vava'u Club competition for both youth and seniors.

16 July - 10 Sep Tongatapu High School Competition U13/15/17/19

Tongatapu A now highly contested tourna-ment to find the best football school at various age levels.

11 Sep 2010 - April 2011 Major League Tongatapu

Tongatapu Club competition for both youth and seniors.

21 Nov - 3 Dec Districts Football Competition Tongatapu

A competition between teams representing each district of the Kingdom.

Date Event Location Description

March - June Primary School Clinics Nationwide AFL TONGA visits most of Tonga's Primaryschool to run clinics and skills based sessions. Carnival Days will highlight this program.

March - June Auskick Nationwide AFL TONGA reaches out to Juniors from ages 5-9 in our Auskick Pro-gram. Parent and Community Participation highlights this program.

May Seniors Grand Final Tongatapu The top 2 teams compete in AFL TONGA Senior Competition Play off.

November Senior AFL Oceania Cup New Zealand

AFL TONGA Seniors tour New Zealand for the Senior AFL OCEANIA CUP, Pacific Nations to compete in the top AFL Tournament in Oceania. This is an AFL OCEANIA Governed Event.

December Junior AFL Oceania Cup Tongatapu

AFL TONGA hosts 2010 Junior AFL OCEANIA CUP, 6 Countries com-peting to win the Oceania Cup of which Tonga are Defending Champions. The best U16 AFL Players from the Pacific will partake in this AFL OCE-ANIA Governed Event.

Rugby Union Events Date Event Location

April Pacific Rugby Cup Tongatapu

June College Rugby Championship

Tongatapu/Vava'u

July Finals Digicel Rugby Cup Tongatapu

Sep National 7 Series (Rugby) Tongatapu/'Eua/Ha'apai/Vava'u

Oct National 7 Series Tonga International Sevens Tongatapu



Public Holidays Date Holiday Location

1 January News Years Day Nationwide 2 April Good Friday Nationwide 5 April Easter Monday Nationwide 25 April ANZAC Day Nationwide 4 June Emancipation Day Nationwide

12 July Crown Prince Tupouto’a Lavaka’s Birthday Nationwide

1 August His Majesty King George Tupou V Official Birthday Nationwide

4 November Tonga Day Nationwide

4 December King George Tupou 1 Commemoration Day Nationwide

25 December Christmas Day Nationwide 26 December Boxing Day Nationwide

Cruise Ship Timetable

Cruise Ship Arrival Date Destination Shipping Agent Operator

3 Dawn Princess 8 April Nuku'alofa Dateline Transam Ship-ping Jones Travel

4 Dawn Princess 9 April Vava'u Dateline Transam Ship-ping Jones Travel

5 Pacific Sun 6 May Nuku'alofa Forum Shipping Jones Travel

6 Pacific Sun 7 May Niua Fo'ou Forum Shipping

7 Pacific Sun 7 May Vava'u Forum Shipping Jones Travel

Pacific Sun 18 May Vava'u Forum Shipping

8 Pacific Jewel 14 September Bounty (ie visits Kao and Tofua volcanic islands)

Forum Shipping

Pacific Jewel 15 September Nuku'alofa Forum Shipping

Pacific Jewel 16 September Vava'u Forum Shipping

9 Clipper Oddyssey 25 September Niua Fo'ou Forum Shipping Jones Travel

Clipper Oddyssey 27 September Vava'u Forum Shipping Jones Travel

10 Spirit of Oceanus 17 October Niuatoputapu Forum Shipping

11 Cruise West 29 November Vava'u Forum Shipping Jones Travel

>> About Tonga’s tourism community


Public Sector Tourism Body

The Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism) is the na-tional tourism office for the Kingdom of Tonga.

We are here to give travellers all the travel information they need. Take the time to check out one of the official travel and tourism guides to the Kingdom of Tonga.

When you are in the Kingdom, come in and see us and we’ll give you a warm Polynesian reception!

Contribute to our newsletter and website We also welcome contributions to our site and newsletter from the tourism industry.

Contact details

If you have any travel related questions, feel free to contact us. Location: Vuna Rd, , Nuku’alofa, Kingdom of Tonga Postal Address: PO BOX 37, Nuku’alofa, Kingdom of Tonga Phone: +676 25-334 Email: [email protected] Website: www.tongaholiday.com

Private Sector Tourism Bodies

Tourism Tonga

The Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism) recognises the work of Tourism Tonga, which is the private sector or-ganization that created and manages TheKingdomOf-Tonga.com.

Address: FWC Office Building Fasi-Moe-Afi, Nuku’alofa, Kingdom of Tonga Phone: +676 23-997 Email: [email protected] Web: TheKingdomOfTonga.com

Tonga Touris Association (TTA) The Tonga Visitors Bureau (Ministry of Tourism) recognises the work of the Tonga Tourist Association, which is a pri-vate sector organisation. The Tonga Tourist Association (TTA) was established since 1980 for the purpose of pro-moting to and within the Kingdom of Tonga and: 1. To co-ordinate the services and facilities of persons en-

gaged in the tourist, travel and accommodation industries 2. To foster and encourage the improvement of tourist fa-

cilities within the Kingdom and abroad 3. To publish brochures, articles and other information de-

tailing the services and facilities available for tourists within the Kingdom

4. To make such recommendations to the Minister of Tour-ism in the Government of Tonga as it may think fit for attaining these purposes

5. To represent the private sector of the tourism industry in Tonga and to send representatives to trade fairs, seminars and other promotional activities

Phone: +676 27-412 Email: [email protected]

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