Tonga tourism

Some 20 commercial operators take thousands of tourists to swim with whales in the Vava'u island group, one of the most important breeding grounds for Oceania humpback whales, an Auckland University of Technology study said.  

Humpbacks spend the months of July to October in Tonga to give birth before travelling back to Antarctica for the summer. 

Study findings suggest that tourism activities are disturbing mother-calf pairs, the focus of nearly 80 per cent of tours. 

The government's Tourism Roadmap 2014 had aimed for tourism income to reach US$45 million or 30 percent of GDP by the year 2020.

However, the Ministry of Tourism says that target has almost been met already so the target has been adjusted to at least US$90 million per annum.

The new target was given at an industry retreat this month.

CEO Fekita 'Utoikamanu says there are still a lot of improvements that can be made in the tourism industry.

The series of six, hour-long workshops are being offered in conjunction with the Tongan Ministry of Tourism and New Zealand-based Learn.fast Centre on Wednesday 1st February in Nuku’alofa.

Topics to be covered include branding and marketability, Pacific tourism trends, increasing business profits, tourism marketing on small budgets, sustainable ‘best practices’ for small business; and crisis and risk management.

The next day, Thursday 2nd February, the trainer will be available to provide individual business coaching to trainees who require further assistance.

A spokesperson for the Tonga Ports Authority said, 10 years ago only about 8 cruise liners arrived in Tonga but in 2016 more than 20 cruise ships visited the Friendly Islands.

The schedule for this year is 21 cruise ships.

This is because Tonga is becoming more popular overseas and Vuna Wharf is more reliable now for International cruise liners.

In previous years, cruise ships hardly visited the kingdom but last December, 4 different cruise liners berthed at Vuna Wharf with more than 1000 passengers in each ship.