Sports tourism is an untapped gold mine

SPORTS How rugby league and other international sports are quietly transforming the PNG economy IT is that time of the year again when international rugby league fever sweeps across Papua New Guinea. The air is thick with anticipation, flags fly...

SI wins bid to host tourism ministers’ meeting 

Solomon Islands will host the 2026 Council of Tourism Ministers’ Meeting. This followed a successful bid by Minister of Culture and Tourism (MCT) Hon. Choylin Yim Douglas who is attending the 2025 event in Tonga this week. The event presents a...

Solomon Islands wins bid to host 2026 Council of Tourism Ministers’ Meeting 

Solomon Islands will host the 2026 Council of Tourism Ministers’ Meeting following a successful bid by Minister of Culture and Tourism (MCT), the Hon. Choylin Yim Douglas who is attending the 2025 event in Tonga this week. The event presents a...

Tonga secures new support from World Bank

Prime Minister Eke and World Bank’s VP meet to deepen development ties. During the 2025 World Bank–IMF meetings held this week, Prime Minister Hon. Dr. ‘Aisake Valu Eke met with Mr. Carlos Felipe Jaramillo, the World Bank Vice President for East...

Solomon Islanders call for sustainable, community-driven tourism

The Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), in partnership with Tourism Solomons and Solomon Islands Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT), has released the results of the 2024 Community Attitude Survey (CAS), providing insight into how Solomon...

Ha‘apai ‘Mystery Cross’ holiday on Monday 27 October

Monday 27 October 2025 will be a one-off public holiday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the “Mystery Appearance of the Cross” in Haʻapai. The date was originally set for Sunday 26 October but, in line with the Public Holidays Act section...

Fiji Airways launches early bird exclusive fares for locals on flights to Australia, NZ, USA, Asia and beyond

Fiji Airways launches early bird exclusive fares for locals on flights to Australia, NZ, USA, Asia and beyond If you are planning to travel overseas, Fiji Airways has announced the launch of its Early Bird Sale, one of the airline’s biggest sales...

England name Brimson, Farnworth in squad

The Kangaroos have landed and are completing their preparations for the first Ashes Test against England, at Wembley Stadium. New coach Kevin Waters has a mix of experience and youthful exuberance to choose from in the first tour of England since...

Letters to the Editor | November 5, 2025

The Bill MOHAMMED IMRAZ JANIF NATABUA, LAUTOKA I SUPPOSE, a large part of the Employment Relations (Amendment) Bill 2025 consultation process focused on the holistic effect of labour mobility. Specifically on the impact this has had on the current...

Filipinos bound for Tonga intercepted in first Pacific trafficking attempt — BI

MANILA (DAILY TRIBUNE) — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) intercepted two Filipinos allegedly being trafficked to Tonga for illegal employment, marking the first recorded attempt involving the remote Pacific nation, the agency reported Sunday....

Princess Pilolevu opens Pacific Tourism Summit in Vava’u

The third Pacific Sustainable Tourism Leadership Summit kicked off today in Vava’u. Her Royal Highness Princess Sālote Mafile’o Pilolevu Tuita, Patron for Tourism in Tonga, delivered the welcoming address at the summit’s opening session at the...

Pacific tourism chiefs land in Vavaʻu for major forum

Ministers and delegates from across the Pacific arrived last Saturday in Vavaʻu to open the Pacific Tourism Forum 2025. They were greeted by the Hon. Moale Finau, Tonga’s Minister for Tourism, and the Governor of Vavaʻu in a formal ceremony held...

‘Fit for a King’: Tonga’s NRL stars reconnect with heritage before Samoa showdown

The Tongan rugby league team’s Pacific Championships preparation turned into a celebration of heritage and pride. Players spent five days reconnecting with family, culture and community ahead of Sunday’s showdown with Samoa. From eating lobster...

What happens when some of the NRL’s biggest stars spend a week in Tonga

“Addin Fonua-Blake went to the school he attended, so did Eli Katoa. Leka Halasima went back to the village where he was born, and [assistant coach] David Tangata-Toa visited the village where his father grew up,” Woolf said. “I went with Paul...

List of Island Countries in the World

Island Countries: Our planet is home to many unique and fascinating countries, and among them, island nations hold a special place. An island country is a nation that is surrounded by water and does not share land borders with any other country....

Tonga volcano explosion equalled most powerful ever U.S nuclear test

A huge underwater volcanic event in Tonga last year was of a magnitude comparable with the most powerful nuclear detonation by the U.S, researchers have revealed. Scientists have used eye and earwitnesses accounts, along with data from tide...

Tama Tonga sends a five-word message after returning to WWE and joining The MFT

Tama Tonga sent a five-word message after returning to WWE and joining forces with MFT. The faction stood tall over Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura on last week's SmackDown. Tonga aligned himself with Solo Sikoa post-WrestleMania XL and joined the...

Timor-Leste Community Voices Highlight Tourism’s Promise and Challenges

The Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), in collaboration with Timor-Leste’s Ministry of Tourism and Environment (MTA), released the findings of the 2024–2025 Community Attitudes Survey (CAS)—Timor-Leste’s first comprehensive national study on...

Solomon Islanders Call for Sustainable, Community-Driven Tourism

The Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), in partnership with Tourism Solomons (TSO) and Solomon Islands Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT), has released the results of the 2024 Community Attitude Survey (CAS)—the first nationwide study of its...

Tonga’s Pacific Championship squad has been announced

Tonga has announced a 21-man squad for the 2025 Pacific Championships, where they’ll go head-to-head with Samoa and New Zealand. Queensland State of Origin centre Robert Toia has been selected to make his international debut for Tonga, joining...