Tourism Tonga, in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism is set to launch a major Rugby World Cup

tourism advertising campaign in the UK in March.

The campaign, which is being kept under wraps until it’s launch in March, is designed to promote the Kingdom in the Northern Hemisphere and Australia and take advantage of the influx of tourists visiting the South-Pacific during the Rugby World Cup. Tourism Tonga employed top Australian Advertising Agency – Alpha State to create the central idea for the campaign, which takes advantage of Tonga’s love of Rugby. The production team was in Tonga in early February and worked alongside marketing staff from Tourism Tonga and the Tonga Visitors Bureau to film the set piece promotional pieces and grab the images needed for the campaign, which is to be rolled out via a specially designed micro website, print and online advertising, and a viral marketing campaign. Air New Zealand Holidays has been confirmed as wholesale partner for the campaign, and Air New Zealand will also be providing support. The campaign will be publicised at the ITB BerlinTrade Show in early March, before being formally launched in London in late March.

For more information, please contact tt_coms@live.com

Some great news from Foa Island, 2 weeks ago Darren from Happy Ha’apai Divers came across an interesting site on the boats depth sounder, so he marked the 
spot and returned later to investigate. He found the most amazing reef covered as far as the eye can see with beautiful soft corals. Darren commented that as far as 
he knows know there is nothing quite like it in anywhere else in the Kingdom.

In a survey conducted by Tonga’s Private Sector Organisation – Tourism Tonga, over the last ten months of 2,715 visitors departing from the Kingdom, 92% rated the Attitude and Helpfulness  of the local people as good or excellent which translates into a score of 4.5 on a scale of 1 to 5.  Phil Sims of Lumsden Research who conducted the survey said ‘ratings this high for interaction between tourists and the local population are very rare and the people of Tonga should be very proud of the high opinion the visitors have of them.’

But the good news does not stop there. 88% said the interaction with the staff of shops and restaurants was also of a very high standard and 85% gave similar  ratings for the operators of taxis and public transport all of this adds up to a satisfying experience for those who come for that special holiday occasion.

Another important factor for any holiday maker is feeling safe when they are away from home and 90% indicated that they felt very safe during their stay which combined with the welcoming attitude of the local people had 93% of all visitors saying their overall experience during their stay was good or excellent.

Other subjects rating high included; Clean sandy beaches, an unspoilt and un-crowded atmosphere and surroundings and the strength of the Tongan culture.

TONGA’S King George Tupou V joined a crowd of 2000 at a Christmas celebration “Carols by the Sea” at Pangai Lahi on Saturday evening, December 11.

The event featured some of Tonga’s talented performers, including Tonga’s Royal Corps of Musicians, the Royal Maopa Choir, ‘Atolomake Helu, Finau Afeaki, Joey Mataele, the Tupou College Brass Band, John Paul Po’oi, Filipo Lemoto, ‘On the Spot’ dancers, the Carols by the Sea Children’s Choir, and hip hop crews. Also joining the carols from New Zealand were singers Angela Afeaki and Sylvia Liava’a. There were also multicultural events, featuring performances by the Fijian Community and the Australian Volunteers.

Christmas messages shown on a big screen came from Tongans overseas including Tonga’s High Commissioner in London, HE Dr Ngongo Kioa and the Tongan community in Hawaii.

The King attended the occasion with the Queen Mother Halaevalu and members of the Royal Family.

Reece Proudfoot, the spokesperson a committee of volunteers who organized the concert said this year’s event was the second of its kind and it was a great success with an estimated 2000 people attending.

“The Tongan community has really pulled together to make this an evening to remember.”.

Reece said that the Carols raised over $2,000 for the Tonga Breast Cancer Society from the sales of 500 goodie bags, face painting activities and individual donations.

Australian Community

Maopa Choir and the Royal Corps of Musicians

Tupou College Brass Band

matangitonga.to

The stunning harbour city of Neiafu in Vava’u hasplayed host to week offestivities for the secondRegatta Vava’u and festival.The Regatta, which is nowin it’s second year and isorganised and staffed byvolunteers, has beenhailed as a great successby organisers and participantsalike.This years event sparkedinterest from abroad withjournalists from top US sailing mag Latitude 38 and New Zealand’s The Dominion disappoint. The sun was outPost visiting The Kingdom to report on the week’s proceedings. Despite a soggy start, by Friday afternoon the sun had come out in all its glory to display a glistening Neiafu Harbour freshly rinsed from a morning of shower. There may have been a few jitters around the organising committee on Friday morning with Saturday’s race fast approaching, but they could not have asked for a more perfect afternoon for the friendly Friday afternoon yacht race around Neiafu Harbour.

This year’s Regatta, the largest of it’s kind ever held in Tonga, certainly didn’t on Saturday and the wind blowing a steady 18 knots, perfect racing conditions, and with 40 boats competing Neiafu Harbour was alive with activity. The race conveniently finished at Tapana Island, only a stones throw from the anchorage for the hotly anticipated Full Moon Party. The organisers had done an outstanding job at transforming the island from a deserted tropical paradise, to a veritable make shift pirate’s lair, with a charming touch of the rugged. The party featured its own restaurant, bar, dance floors, sanitation blocks, campsite for those who hitched a ride on the competing vessels and even 3 giant cinema screens.

The highlight of the evening’s proceedings was undoubtedly provided by the futuristic dance troupe, which performed on the replica pirate ship which had been built into the surrounding incline, and adorned with strategically paced fluorescent lights to give the effect of glow in the dark skeletons. The fluro-hoard appeared ghost-like from the surrounding undergrowth,  menacingly making their way down the hill towards the revellers, before bringing the party alive with a superbly choreographed tribal dance. The night’s entertainment culminated in a heavenly hula performance from a dance troupe who wouldn’t have looked out of place on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean. A fitting end to an superbly executed event.

It all begins with a toilet. Well almost in the case of The Niuas where the green shoots of a tourism industry are starting to shoot. In the wake of the devastating Tsunami which struck the South Pacific in December last year, life has started to return to normal for the Island of Niuatoputapu in the Tonga’s Northern-most island group of The Niuas. With a population of around 1000, the pristine island of Niuatoputapu suffered major damage, which included the loss of villages and critical infrastructure such as the hospital and school.  Since then locals from the island, which is often described as a place where travellers can go to discover the real Tonga, have been busy trying to get their lives back to a semblance of normality. 

Added to this, the Tongan Red Cross has been working around the clock since December last year, first with emergency relief, and now with a stabalisation project which is managed solely by volunteers.  74 new temporary shelters are in the process of being erected, along with 148 water tanks, 2 per household.  A desalination plant has been constructed by the Red Cross, providing potable water and special projects involving  local school children are underway to regenerate the mangroves. 

The Niuas, being an excellent transitting port for Yachts on their way from Samoa to Tonga, has seen a steady flow of visitors over the past 9 months. It features a 10,000 litre water tank and sheltered anchorage which makes it ideal for yachts. Recently, some transitting yachties stayed and volunteered their time to assist with the construction of the temporary shelters, and left with lifelong friends and many unforgettable memories. The Red Cross has donated one of their shelters to the Niuas for a new amenities block for yachts and cruise ships and plans are now underway to source the materials needed to complete the project.

If you would like to assist with the Niuas regeneration project, or would like to find out more about short term volunteering holidays, please contact the Tourism Tonga office at: tourismtonga@live.com

Tonga was be featured on Australia’s “The Today Show” last Sunday 10th October.

The crew from Channel 9’s Today Show visited Tonga three weeks ago, and headed up to the beautiful harbour city of Neiafu in Vava’u to film a swimming with whales special for the show. Their trip also coincided with the second annual Regatta Vava’u and Festival which meant Neiafu was presented in all it’s splendour for the duration of their visit.  Presenter Cameron Williams and the crew were taken out Whalewatching with Beluga Diving for a day on the water. The crew was said to be blown away by the natural beauty of Vava’u and friendliness of the local people, and once in lifetime experience of swimming with the whales. After spotting, and then swimming with a mother a calf, Presenter Cameron Williams described the experience as “absolutely amazing” and “like being in outer space”. The segment, which wasbroadcast on Sunday will signal the start of an ongoing supporting advertising  campaign in the Sydney Morning Herald, which will see Tonga partner up with Blue Holidays and Dive Adventures to publicise our unique Island Kingdom as a holiday destination in the run up to the festive season.

The Kingdom of Tonga is saying a big Malo e Lelei and welcome to Rugby fans from around the globe as part of our “Rugby. You love it, we live it.” travel promotion. 

The campaign will run for the next 11 months during the build up to the Rugby World Cup and is designed to attract fans from around the globe to visit our Rugby-mad nation before, during and after the World Cup, to be held in New Zealand next September.

Our beautiful island capital of Nuku’alofa will become Rugby Central during the World Cup with the completion of our waterfront Rugby Village, rugby tours, set piece rugby games and a whole host of attractions for the Rugby fanatic. And those looking to get away from it all can relax on one of our secluded island beaches or perhaps swim with our oldest friends, the humpback whales, who visit us from July to October each year.

As part of the “Rugby. You love it, We live it campaign”, The Kingdom of Tonga will be partnering with key wholesalers  to provide quality holiday packages for Rugby fans who will be travelling to the South – Pacific next September. Travel options include stop over short breaks for those travelling from Europe and the USA who are keen to experience the Real Polynesia, and 3 to 5 day holiday packages for those keen to escape the crowds and inflated accommodation prices in Auckland during the World Cup.

For more information on the campaign, please contact tt_coms@live.com

Dr Fred Vaka‘uta Sevele, Prime Minister of Tonga, says that accessible, affordable and sustainable electricity for every household is the key to economic growth and poverty alleviation in Tonga. The Tonga Energy Road Map, released in June, is a comprehensive document outlining what will be done to achieve this.

Geography makes supplying power to all the villages of Tonga challenging as the kingdom has 36 inhabited islands spread over a vast area of ocean. Though two thirds of its l02,000 people live on Tongatapu, the largest island and seat of government, there are significant populations in Vava‘u, Ha‘apai and ‘Eua and other outlying islands. At present Tonga Power (a state owned enterprise) has diesel generators and a distribution network on the four main island groups.

Tonga Power was formed in 2008 when the government bought Shoreline Power, a private company that supplied most of Tonga’s electricity generation. As Tonga’s electricity is 100 per cent generated from diesel the volatility of the landed cost of fuel had a negative impact of the economic activity and quality of life of the Tongan people. Dr Sevele realised the government must lead the inclusion of renewable energy into the electricity system to reduce Tonga’s dependence on imported energy and its vulnerability to oil price shocks. The Tonga Energy Road Map is a 10-year energy plan which aims to reduce Tonga’s dependence on imported fossil fuel to 50% in three years.

Peter McGill, a New Zealander with a background in infrastructure management, was appointed as chief executive to Tonga Power in July last year. Mr McGill explains that the Tonga Energy Road Map is a tremendous planning document and already changes to the electricity supply and distribution are underway.

“Tonga Power inherited a business with sound generation capabilities on the four main island groups; the generators are all new technology and in excellent order. But, at the beginning of the supply chain, there are diesel supply and under capacity storage issues and, at the other end, line distribution was old, inefficient, had 18 percent line loss and was unsafe.”

Tonga Power electrical engineering graduate Nikolasi Fonua inspects the fuel system at Tonga Power’s ‘Anana generation plant. 10 August 2010

Supply and distribution efficiencies

Currently diesel to drive Tonga Power’s generators is supplied by small local coastal tankers from Fiji. If midrange (MR) tankers directly from Singapore are used the freight costs will be cut considerably. To do this Tonga Power needs to increase storage capacity in Tongatapu and upgrade the pipeline to the tank farm. This is legislated for, technical planning is underway and construction planned to be completed by the end of 2011. The outcome will be a reduction of up to five percent in supply price.

Tonga Power inherited a rundown distribution network especially to the outer villages. Most of the lines to the outer villages are a stick-pole network; basically six-metre poles, held up in all sorts of inventive ways, with the power cable wrapped around the top. It’s very unsafe, with up to five electrocutions a year. This system has an 18.5 percent line loss of which approximately four percent is through theft and meter tampering.

Various examples of ‘stick-pole-networks’ on Tongatapu Island. Photo courtesy of Tonga Power Limited.

To solve the distribution problems Tonga Power is investing in a high voltage (11,000 v) network upgrade to the outer villages and the associated metering. The reconstruction of the village network, a low voltage project, will be led by New Zealand Aid Programme (NZAid), supported by EU and World Bank. The new network upgrade will be constructed to New Zealand standards and provide the outlying villages with reliable electricity. The planning is well underway, reconstruction will cost several million dollars, take four years and will commence later this year. Tonga Power will oversee the project with NZAid and ESITO (Electrical Supply Industrial Training Organisation) to have the linesmen working towards New Zealand certification with the additional benefit of helping to up-skill Tongan labour. The new distribution network will reduce line loss down to 10 percent.

The project will require between 16,000 and 20,000 power poles. These will be sourced from the island of ‘Eua and produced by Tonga Timber. With nice synchronicity a Caribbean pine plantation, an NZAid project planted of some 20 years ago, is ready for milling. The logging, milling and treatment to H5 standard will provide work for around a hundred people on ‘Eua.

Mr McGill says that Tonga is dependent on diesel electricity generation for the foreseeable future but sorting out the supply and storage issues will cut the cost of it by up to six percent and replacing the distribution network will reduce line loss by eight percent (as well as making the outer village electricity network a lot safer).

Renewable energy

Supplementing diesel electricity generation with renewable energy in the form of biofuel and photovoltaic solar energy is part of the Tonga Energy Road Map. Imported petroleum products account for 75 percent of Tonga’s total energy usage and 98 percent of its electricity supply. Government aims to increase its renewable energy production to 50 percent of the total energy used within three years. Solar energy is a key resource with some solar photovoltaic off-grid electricity generation already in use.

On-grid solar

Meridian Energy, Tonga Power, and NZAid are working on a solar photovoltaic project that will feed approximately one megawatt of electricity into the grid. To put this into perspective, the project will provide around five percent of Tongatapu’s annual electricity requirement. Meridian will build and operate the facility. Planning is underway, and if the project proceeds construction will begin in the second quarter of next year. The project will involve around two hectares of photovoltaic panels. This scale of on-grid photovoltaic system will be a first for the South Pacific and will no doubt be watched with interest by Tonga’s neighbours.

An aerial view of Merdian Energy’s 5MW solar facility in Mendota, California. Photo courtesy of Meridian Energy.

The Tongan government is also negotiating with the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi, which has indicated that it will contribute another one-megawatt solar photovoltaic system. This will lift the solar input to Tongatapu’s electricity to 10 percent.

Off-grid solar

JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) is working with Tonga Outer Island Solar Electrification Program to install solar home-systems on 13 outer islands covering homes of 1400 people. These systems will provide electricity for lighting, television, computers and refrigeration. Households will pay an installation fee of NZ$144, which is enough to be a serious investment by the household, and therefore likely to foster a sense of ownership of the system, but not being so high as to be unaffordable. The systems will be owned by the island group’s solar committee, and households will pay a monthly fee for service. The JICA engineer plans to begin installations in August 2011.

On-grid biofuel

Thirty years ago Tonga was a huge exporter of copra, dried coconut meat, which was processed into coconut oil. Now that industrial scale palm oil plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia have gutted the coconut oil market this is no longer an important export and millions of coconuts drop to the ground unused. But locally manufactured coconut oil could be a viable biofuel and Tonga Power’s generators have the capability to blend seven percent of biofuel with diesel and could use one million litres a year.

Many of the islands are covered in coconut trees and coconut collecting, and the removal of the copra, could again be a small-scale family-based industry. Harvesting and collection processes would need to be resurrected but these need not be complex.

The World Bank is leading a pilot project on Tongatapu to ascertain the viability of coconut oil production for biofuel. Extracting coconut oil is not a high-tech process; it’s being done successfully in Fiji and could feed biofuel into Tonga Power’s generators on all four main island groups.

Mr McGill says that the biofuel and the on-grid solar power operation will be separate businesses selling biofuel and solar-generated electrify to Tonga Power.

The Tonga Energy Road Map is visionary document that outlines Tonga’s energy plans for the next ten years, defines individual projects and their time frames and links various donor agency’ investments to specific projects. There are many contributors to the Road Map but four key people deserve special accolades for their efforts: Dr Fred Vaka‘uta Sevele, the Prime Minister; Hon ‘Akau‘ola; Rob Solomon, Prime Minister’s economic advisor; and Lano Fonua, energy analyst. Tonga Energy Road Map was only launched in June and various aspects of it are well underway already.

Tonga National Day at the World Expo in Shanghai, China was celebrated on August 2 where HRH Princess Pilolevu Tuita urged visitors to come to visit the Pacific region and its islands.

Tonga’s Media Representative to the World Expo, Monalisa Palu, reported that on this day, exits and entrances carried the Kingdom of Tonga’s flag. 

Princess Pilolevu was welcomed by the Vice Mayor of Shanghai, Tang Dengjie, as a 20 member Tongan dance troupe lined the red carpet together with Tonga’s delegation.

The Tonga flag was raised in a flag raising ceremony at the East Plaza of the Expo Centre and the Shanghai Military Brass Band played the national anthem. 

Monalisa reported that gifts were exchanged and the Princess signed the Honour Book. The Tongan and Chinese delegations were led into the Green Hall where national days are celebrated and broadcasted to the world. 

The Mayor of Shanghai in his welcome address noted the strengthening ties since Tonga and China established diplomatic relations in 1998.

Princess Pilolevu said that the theme of the Expo “Better City, Better Life” echoed the deep desire for all of us to better our lives and our fellow citizens, in spite of the national and global challenges. 

In addition she said one small way Tonga could better their lives is through trade. “We are here in Shanghai because we believe that through tourism our lives can improve at the same time, share our culture and heritage with the people of China,” she said. 

“I invite all of you to come to the Kingdom of Tonga the first country in the world to see the sun every day and the only Kingdom in the South Pacific.” 

The Tonga dancing troupe showcased national dances for 30 minutes. 

In the afternoon Princess Pilolevu toured the Pacific Pavilion, which houses Tonga’s booth and 13 of its neighbouring countries.

A tapa was laid out at the entrance to Tonga’s booth, with a replica of the Ha’amonga and two whale structures hanging from the ceiling. 

Tongan delegation consisted Tonga’s Ambassador to China HE Mahe’uli’uli Tupouniua, Commissioner General Sakopo Lolohea, Paula Ma’u Secretary for Ministry of Information and Communication, and Monalisa Palu, media representative.

The performers who travelled to Shanghai were selected after a national audition and were under the supervision of Tonga Visitors Bureau’s Cotton Siale and Niulala Helu of the ‘Atenisi Foundation of Performing Arts. The group departed on 27 July. Whilst in transit in Nadi, they performed a few items to the delight of guests at the Gateway Raffles Hotel. 

The World Expo 2010 runs from 1 May to 31 October and expects to welcome over 70 million visitors.

Tourism Tonga, Tonga’s private sector representative body, has launched it’s long awaited major marketing campaign, targeting the key markets of Australia and New Zealand. 

The quarter of a million dollar campaign was launched at the Tourism Tonga booth at the Auckland Flight Centre Travel show on Sunday, and will run for the length of the Tongan winter, with an auxiliary campaign planned for the off season. 

The campaign, which will involve a mix of traditional media such and newspaper and TV advertising, as well as online marketing, Travel Shows, Trade Fairs and media visits, will centre around driving prospective tourists to the Kingdom’s state of the art tourist website www.thekingdomoftonga.com. The website, which when complete, will provide Tonga with a leading online presence in the South-Pacific, recently added a new “Deals and Specials” page, designed to provide prospective tourists with a direct package booking facility and spark more wholesaler interest in the Kingdom.  The site will will soon also include a new “My Tonga” page designed specifically for Tonga’s large overseas diaspora, a “Media Resource” page, a Travel Agent training tool and a “News and Events” page.

Steve Finau, Tourism Tonga’s executive officer said “We are all very excited about the launch of the campaign. This moment has come about after 2 years of hard work by the Tourism Tonga team in setting up the office, designing the marketing campaign and securing the funds to implement it. In the short space of 8 months, the office has expanded from one staff member to five full-time members of staff, and we have recently finalised the appointment of Reece Proudfoot as Marketing Manager, who oversaw the design of the campaign as Marketing and Communications Officer and will now be driving it’s implementation.” Finau added: “We see tourism as a crucial driver for social and economic development in Tonga. As well as boosting visitor numbers, we will be focussing on creating awareness amongst the Tongan people of the great opportunities which Tourism can provide for community development, in employment, skills, education, and the preservation of Tonga’s unique culture, to name but a few.”

President of Tourism Tonga, Dave Hunt added: “As the Umbrella Organisation for the National Economic Development Council, and representing some 150 businesses in Tonga’s Tourism private sector, we have designed this campaign to benefit all of our members along with the greater Tongan Community, and are expecting a healthy increase in visitor numbers for 2010/11.”

The final report of the Tonga Energy Road Map (TERM) was completed and published in June 2010. The TERM provides a detailed pathway towards a low carbon, cost-effective, technically sound, equitable transformation of the entire energy sector in the Kingdom of Tonga.

Regatta Vava’u & Festival’s 2010 event week is quickly approaching! September 22 – 28!

Event planning is well underway and new events are taking shape.  We’ve added a ‘Treasures of the Bilge’ Swap Meet, a Humpback Whale presentation, and are working on a few more! The most fabulous Full Moon Party in the Pacific is becoming more exciting as plans develop. The party’s food will be hosted by Dancing Rooster Restaurant and the libations by the Marina Wine Bar. The week prior to the Opening Day Festival on the 22nd, the island-wide Scavenger Hunt will be enticing visiting yachts to cruise and explore the beautiful islands of the Vava’u Group. The Cornhole (Bean Bag Toss) Tournament already has 26 registrants signed up and we’re hoping to have about twice that joining in the fun. The pie eating contest is sure to be a lot of laughs, so don’t miss it!

Local sponsorship and prizes are pouring in. The committee is very happy to welcome Aquarium Café, Chatham Pacific Airlines, Endangered Encounters, and Office Equipment to name a few big supporters. Some of the prizes being donated by the local community include humpback whale watch and swim trips, jet kayak tours, kart safaris, laundry service, meals, beers, coffees at local restaurants, and the list is just beginning!

International sponsors so far include Port Opua Business Association from New Zealand, The Whangarei Marine Group from New Zealand, Archway Consultants from Australia, the Organic Matters Foundation from Australia, and Yacht Domain from Australia. Several more international sponsors are in the queue and we hope to be confirming with them in the near future, details to come!

The yachting community’s registrations have been trickling in with over 40 international registrants and 17 sailing yachts so far. This community of international sailors is one that makes plans in the sand and doesn’t often solidify much too far in advance since they can never be positive just where the wind will blow them. Nevertheless, the buzz is out there and we’re expecting a lot more registrations before the event week and to see many new faces in town at the Opening Day Festival, September 22nd. News of the event week is posted at yachting locations around French Polynesia and online in magazines like Latitude 38’s ‘Lectronic Latitude. Our website banners can be found on quite a few websites now and we’re grateful to Vavau.to for constructing them for us! The committee is very happy to have two industry journalists coming to cover the event week, pending flight confirmations. This will undoubtedly be fantastic press for Tonga and Regatta Vava’u & Festival!

The Opening Day Festival is sure to be a fantastic day outside with the whole Vava’u community turning out for a variety of music and dancing, handicrafts, tasty bits from local restaurateurs, and more.

We’d love for you to join us for a week of frivolity and fun. Registration and Sponsorship information can be found on our website at www.RegattaVavau.com.  Be sure to look for us on Facebook or email us directly at RegattaVavau@gmail.com.