kiribatitourism.gov.ki

Mr Tarataake Teannaki is the Head of the Kiribati National Tourism Office. He joined the Government of Kiribati Civil Service in 1994 as Assistant Secretary (Administrative Cadre) for two key Ministries, Ministry of Line & Phoenix Development in Christmas Island and, the Ministry of Labour and Human Resources Development. In 1997 he moved to his new position as Head of Kiribati National Tourism Office based at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism until later in 2004 when he is transferred with the whole Tourism Office to the Ministry of Communications, Transport and Tourism Development under the new government where he stays until this present date. Under his present capacity as Head of Tourism, he has been appointed to various government committees and sits on various government company boards. In his recent appointment he was chairman of the Government owned Hotel Board of Directors for 4 consecutive years. He is also the National Tourism Office representative to the South Pacific Tourism Organization Board of Directors ever since 2006 to date. Mr. Teannaki holds a Bachelor's Degree majoring in Management and Geography, a Post Graduate Diploma in Tourism Studies, Post Graduate Diploma in Marine Studies and Masters in Tourism Management (specializing in Cruise Tourism in Small Atoll States) from the University of the South Pacific in Suva Fiji.

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Mr Iataake King is the Tourism Development Officer at the Kiribati National Tourism Office of the Ministry of Communication, Transport and Tourism Development based in Tarawa. He currently looks after the development of tourism products in the Kiribati group, tourism projects, personnel matters and eco-tourism programme and activities. He has served at the KNTO for 14 years now. From 1994 -2000, he was a Marketing Officer of the former Kiribati Visitors Bureau known now as the Kiribati National Tourism Office and was actively involved in the first Visitors Survey of international tourists to Kiribati conducted in 2003. He holds a Diploma in Travel and Tourism Management obtained in 2000 at the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand.

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Mr Kiraren T. Tebetanga is the Tourism Development Officer, and is currently employed by the Kiribati National Tourism Office posted to Christmas Island to be the officer in-charge of the Kiribati National Tourism Office. He began his education from the London Primary School, later transferred to Tarawa, the capital, for his first three years in secondary school, and later attended Liahona High School in the Kingdom of Tonga for another three years before he completed his secondary school education. He pursued his studies at Brigham Young University-Hawaii Campus (BYU-HC) and gained his first certificate in an Advanced English as A Second Language from the English Language Institute of BYU-HC in Dec, 1989, followed by a certificate in the Viasinc’s American Airline/Sabre Computer Training Program from The School of Business of BYU-HC, and finally a one-year certificate in Travel Management from Brigham Young University-Hawaii Campus on April 23, 1993.

He was offered a temporary job as an Account Clerk for several years at the Linnix Account Section, and later he was given a challenging responsibility to look after the Kiribati Provident Fund Branch Office on Kiritimati Island for many months, and then finally won a permanent post at the Tourism Office under the Linnix as an Assistant Tourism Officer in 1995. When the Tourism Office under Linnix was absorbed by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism in 1997, he was promoted through an official interview to be a Tourism Development Officer for the KNTO Branch in Kiritimati Island. While he is on the job, he has successfully attended several short term (1-3 months) courses on Tourism Projects in Rural areas in Rehovot Israel, the group training course in Integrated Inshore Resource Management in Tropical Island in Yokohama Japan, and a Sustainable Tourism Development in South pacific Region at Meio University, Japan.

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Mr George Kum Kee, Jr. is the Marketing Coordinator for the Kiribati National Tourism Office (KNTO). Before working for the KNTO George worked for the Shipping Agencies of Kiribati, assisting the private shipping agency in marine vessels landing logistics, managing United Parcel Services (UPS), managing payments from Norwegian Cruise Line through calls made to Fanning Island and recruiting local employment on Norwegian Cruise Line vessels. George established himself with the KNTO in 2006 and his roles evolves around the marketing and promoting of the destination's holiday products, coordinating overseas travel shows, dealing with famils and maintenance of the KNTO photo database. George holds a Degree in Marine Affairs & Tourism Studies from the University of the South Pacific in Fiji.

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Mrs Ereata Benson is the Education and Training Officer. She joined the office since the beginning of 2004. Before that, she was working as an Assistant Secretary for the Ministry of Communications, Transport and Tourism Development. She had also been working on short term or contract basis as Geography Teacher for the government secondary school in Tarawa as well as a Data Collection Officer for the Energy Planning Unit within the Ministry of Public Works and Utilities.

Academically, Ereata has done some on-campus courses at the University of the South Pacific (USP) as well as in country courses here at the USP extension center and at Kiribati Technical Institute. She was also awarded with a distinction when doing the Train of Trainers Program at the Kiribati Institute of Technology. In 2007, Ereata also attended training on Food & Beverage Services, House Keeping and Front Office Services conducted here by the trainees from Auckland University of Technology.

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Mr Tiuti Biribo is currently working as a Research & Statistics Officer of Kiribati National Tourism Office under the Ministry of Communication, Transport & Tourism Development. In his current position, he manages the following:

• Compiling of all tourism data (.i.e. Air & Sea arrivals, & tourism products)
• Formulation, updating and maintenance of Tourism Databases
  
• Dealing with Kiribati Visitors survey
  
• Website update
  
• Outer Islands research
  

Mr. Biribo studied at both the King George V & Elaine Bannachi School in Kiribati. Prior to working at the KNTO he has worked for the Telecom Services Kiribati Limited (TSKL) as an Account Officer for 4 years.

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Mrs Reeti Onorio Rui is the Tourism Officer at the Kiribati National Tourism Office Branch on the world’s largest coral atoll and one of the world’s renowned Flyfishing Destination - the island of Kiritimati (Christmas Island). Having spent most of her life in Fiji, she attended an International Secondary School in Suva from 1993-1997 and later pursued her studies at the University of the South Pacific’s Suva Campus where she graduated with a Degree in Economics and Tourism at the end of 2001. She finally returned to reside in Tarawa in 2002 where she worked as an Assistant Energy Planner at the Ministry of Public Works and Energy. She was provided an opportunity to work on a contractual basis for 2 years as Acting Tourism Development Officer in 2003. She gained her permanency in 2006 as Assistant Tourism Officer, for which she was transferred to assist the Branch Office on Christmas Island.

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The KNTO support staff includes- Mrs Nananaua Baeketua - Registry Clerk and Mrs Sarah Tiare - Office Assistant.