Meet Sieni Tiraa

Tourism is multi-faceted, diverse and colorful. When done right, it offers the best possible opportunities for the development of our people and place. These sentiments were mentioned by Sieni Tiraa, Sustainable Tourism Manager, Cook Islands Tourism Corporation.

“The concept of sustainability is in my genes. Firstly, through my ancestors and their subsistence livelihoods and our indigenous practices to my parents and siblings who are all avid environmentalists and conservationists,” she said.

“For me, the pathway through tourism would inevitably merge towards a more sustainable route as it is inherent within me. Since the beginning of my journey with tourism as a waitress in the hospitality industry, the passion for the best outcomes out of the tourism opportunities for our people and place had been ignited. The tertiary qualification that I gained set in motion the chosen career pathway for me towards Sustainable Tourism and landed me a role at Cook Islands Tourism seven years ago in the marketing division. Through the experiences learned and the knowledge gained, I’ve been able to refine this route somewhat further where I find myself the current Sustainable Tourism Manager for Cook Islands Tourism.

Ms. Tiraa shared how the Kia Orana Values has been the foundation of the work by Cook Islands Tourism. The three values under this scheme are the epitome of sustainability. Kia Orana being the first and foremost of these is widely referred to as our greeting, but its core meaning relates to a long and fulfilling life. Kia Orana is front and centre and is the overarching value within which the other two fall under.

She further explained that the value of Meitaki is central to the key pillars of gratitude and true hospitality. It is about being passionate about what you do, providing an exceptional service and being responsible hosts. This value system is deeply entrenched within our culture and who we are as Cook Islanders. Mana Tiaki, simply translates as having the authority or power to be guardians or caretakers. This concept reminds us that we all have a responsibility and a part to play to preserve the environment, culture and livelihoods of our communities.

The onus is then shifted to one of ownership and duty of care to conserve, preserve or maintain an environment, knowledge or practice(s) for future generations. The Kia Orana Values has been used to enhance customer service, strengthen community initiatives and refine the Cook Islands tourism industry standards.

Ms Tiraa mentioned that the Cook Islands tourism sector can achieve Goal 2 – Thriving and Inclusive Communities of the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Policy Framework in the Pacific through the Kia Orana Values.

“The Kia Orana Values has proven an incredible success with the community. It has been widely promoted throughout our operations, so the awareness of the Kia Orana Values is very high. In addition, the integration of a cultural concept into traditional tourism processes has been well received by the community.” she said.

“Another form of achieving this goal is through community based tourism which can involve capacity building and provide an enabling business environment for the community to see the mutual benefits of tourism. Some work has already been done in this space but there is more work required around community based tourism particularly for the outer islands which i am excited to be a part of in the years to come.”

ENDS.