Tauranga Vananga and Cook Islands Tourism conducted their first cultural tour guide workshop for
Aitutaki on Thursday 4th November as a part of their joint commitments outlined in their 5-year Memorandum of Understanding. Tauranga Vananga Director, Ngarangi Tangaroa-Teio stated in her opening address that, “Tourism Operators are not just tourism ambassadors for the destination but also cultural ambassadors. These workshops are a valuable avenue for Tauranga Vananga to promote cultural and historical sites of interest in order to strengthen the cultural component of our tourism offering and
protect these valuable assets.”

The workshop consisted of a lecture style workshop at the beginning and concluded with site visits to different areas of interest which was well received from over sixty participants representing various tourism businesses on Aitutaki. CI Tourism’s Director of Destination Development, Christian Mani said that, “The workshop for Aitutaki will help to enhance the cultural knowledge of our local tourism operators on certain landmarks and ensure the stories are consistent which will add value to their operations.”