Press Releases

Visitor Satisfaction Survey Consultation to boost North Tarawa Accommodation Experience

As part of targeted efforts to elevate visitor experiences, a Visitor Satisfaction Survey (VSS) consultation was held on January 25, 2024, at the Ocean View Hotel in North Tarawa. Organized by the Research and Statistics Division within the...

Kiribati calls for a strong global commitment to upstream measures to solve the plastic crisis

1 June 2023, Paris France – Thirty-three coral atolls and islands are dispersed among the three groups that form Kiribati, which are the Gilbert, Line, and Phoenix islands. Covering a land area of 810km2, the island groups are spread over a vast...

Tourism Industry Continued to Show Weakness in January 2024

Posted on Feb 29, 2024 in News For Immediate Release: February 29, 2024 HONOLULU—In January 2024, total visitor arrivals to the Hawaiian Islands (763,480 visitors, -3.6%) and total visitor spending measured in nominal dollars ($1.81 billion,...

Kiribati recognises the value in Sustainable & Regenerative Tourism

As an emerging destination, Kiribati recognises that the future of tourism for the small island state must be sustainable. This is in line with our national vision for “tourism to be a key driver for stimulating sustainable economic development,...

Kiribati Sustainability Champion – Ms Kiarake Karuaki

Driven by passion Kiarake Karuaki strives to ensure that her island home of Kiribati reaps the benefits of community-based tourism and achieves sustainability. She does this through capacity building, awareness, product development, licensing,...

New Benchmark Study Highlights Impacts of Nickel and Cobalt Mining on Critical Forested Carbon Sinks Amid Battery Metals Boom

Commissioned by TMC, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence assessed the impact of mining on terrestrial carbon sinks in top nickel and cobalt producing regions In 2022, 75% of the world’s cobalt production came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo...

U.S. Senators Push for UNCLOS Ratification as Members of Congress Call for ISA to Adopt Seafloor Mining Regulations

Led by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), a bipartisan coalition re-introduced a resolution calling on the U.S. Senate to ratify the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which details the rights and responsibilities of countries regarding the...

Press Release: Samoa Competition and Consumer Commission (SCCC) Joins the Pacific Island Network of Competition, Consumer and Economic Regulators (PINCCER)

Apia, 8 November 2023 – The Samoa Competition and Consumer Commission (SCCC) is delighted to announce its participation as a founding member of the Pacific Island Network of Competition, Consumer and Economic Regulators (PINCCER). This newly...

Kiribati Re-affirms Commitment to Improving Regional Tourism

Home Kiribati Re-affirms Commitment to Improving Regional Tourism Kiribati affirmed its commitment to being part of the regional sustainable tourism cohesion as it signed the Pacific Leader’s Sustainable Tourism Commitment in Tarawa last week....

Kiribati Minister for Tourism Confirmed for SPTO Meetings

Home Kiribati Minister for Tourism Confirmed for SPTO Meetings The Pacific Tourism Organisation welcomes confirmation that Honourable Michael Bootii Nauan, Minister for Tourism, Commerce, Industry and Cooperative (MTCIC) of Kiribati, will lead...

Tonga Tourism Industry Embraces Digital Transformation with Pacific Digital Champions Training

Tongan tourism industry leaders and key stakeholders solidified their dedication to embracing digital transformation. This commitment took shape during their participation in the Pacific Digital Champions training program from 15th-16th August,...

Tourism Industry Affected by Maui Wildfires in August 2023

Posted on Sep 28, 2023 in News For Immediate Release: September 28, 2023 HONOLULU—According to preliminary statistics from the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), a total of 769,163 visitors came to the Hawaiian...

TMC Announces Corporate Update on Expected Timeline, Application Costs and Production Capacity Following Part II of the 28th Session of the International Seabed Authority

NEW YORK, Aug. 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TMC the metals company Inc. (Nasdaq: TMC) (“TMC” or “the Company”), an explorer of lower-impact battery metals from seafloor polymetallic nodules, today provided a corporate update on expected...

Solomon Islands calls for global plastic production reduction, plans national plastic ban

31 May 2023, Paris France - The pristine beaches, vibrant forests and colourful reefs of 992 islands of the Solomon Islands are threatened by increasing plastic litter arriving on its shores, and from discarded plastic waste locally. In the...

NTO Update – Kiribati commits to sustainable tourism development

In October 2022, Kiribati affirmed its commitment to being part of the regional sustainable tourism cohesion as it signed the Pacific Leader’s Sustainable Tourism Commitment. Kiribati joined 14 Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) members in...

Towards 2030 – Kiribati begins work on Sustainable Tourism Indicators

The Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK), in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI), has commenced work on the development of Kiribati’s Sustainable Tourism Indicators. This...

Hawaii’s Tourism Industry was Healthy in March 2023

Posted on Apr 27, 2023 in News For Immediate Release: April 27, 2023 HONOLULU—According to preliminary visitor statistics released by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), a total of 900,800 visitors arrived in the...

Historical World War II Battle Sites in Kiribati

Kiribati is an island state in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with one of the smallest populations in the world. It is an ideal destination for those who would love to immerse themselves and become one with nature. Despite the calm and peaceful...

Visitor Industry Continued Recovery in January 2023

Posted on Feb 28, 2023 in News For Immediate Release: February 28, 2023 HONOLULU—According to preliminary visitor statistics released by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), a total of 791,781 visitors arrived in...

TMC and Allseas Achieve Historic Milestone: Nodules Collected from the Seafloor and Lifted to the Production Vessel Using 4 km Riser During Pilot Trials in the Clarion Clipperton Zone for First Time Since the 1970s

During a 60-minute pilot collection run across ~150 meters of the seafloor, ~14 tonnes of nodules were collected by the pilot collector vehicle, transported to the surface using a 4.3-km riser system and placed into the hold of the surface...