Festival
pp. 51-52 · Read in the full issue
website attracts thousands of "hits"
Requests on the Internet for live coverage of the Tonga National Music Association and Heilala festivities have exceeded 269,000 hits from more then 55 countries since the official launching of the site on June 27, 1998. Coverage of the events located on the Internet site www.tonga2ooo.net start ed from June 26 till July 6.
Coverage also included the 80th Birthday celebrations of His Majesty King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, 21st Birthday cele brations of the Hon. Lupepaum Tuita and other events. According to Tongan Internet specialist, Taholo Kami, "in addition to expected interest from Tongan communi ties in the USA, Australia and New Zealand, statistics show an unexpectedly high number of visits from Western Europe, Japan and numerous other smaller countries.”
The web site also featured daily news updates from Radio Tonga A3Z and IiveCHAT interviews. Interviewees includ ed the Hon. Lupepau’u Tuita, the Nikotimasi Vaha’i, Noble Fielakepa, Governor of Ha’apai, Dr Masasso Paunga, Minister of Labour, Commerce and Industries also responsible for Tourism, Hussein Khashoggi, Saudi Arabian Businessman, Miss Robina Nakao, manag er of Western Union Money Transfer, Maryjane McKibbon, Miss South Pacific
and Anita Robert, Miss Heilala 1997. The project was jointly funded through Emeline Tuita at the Tonga Consulate General and TONGASAT as a means of promoting the important cultural event among the large Tongan overseas popula tion.
Tuita emphasised the important contri bution the overseas Tongans make to the local economy and believes projects like this strengthen the ties between Tonga and the younger generation of Tongans in
Australia, New Zealand and the USA. She also hopes to see the momentum intiated by the website is maintained as a means of exposure leading up to the Millennium cel ebrations. Taholo Kami has long dabbled with Internet issues relating to the region and this project was inspired by a firm belief that the Internet is “God’s gift to the Pacific Islands... for the first time a means of communication that is not restricted by our isolation or our small populations..”.
Kami’s disappointment with the Pacific island nations’ minimist approach to Internet exposure has led to advocating an “event driven” publicity strategy using key cultural and environmental events in the
region to provide exposure to the Pacific and draw the attention of the 100 million plus users of the global Internet.
He believes the statistics behind the Heilala project support this approach and hopes that national tourism organisations will use a similar approach for their Millennium plans. Coverage was made by Team leader Taina Kami and writers Toakase Tonga and Naitilima Tupou. Site technician was Milton Kaetovuhu, manag ing director of Wantoks Communication in Papua New Guinea. The site is in the inspi ration of Taholo Kami, a pioneer with regional Internet initiatives and founder of Tonga Online and Kavabowl. The project was sponsored by Tongasat, the Tonga Consulate General in San Francisco and Tonga Online.
Relevant sites to visit; Tonga2ooo www.tonga2ooo.net Tonga Online
www.tongaonline.com
The Kavabowl www.pacificforum.com/kavabowl SlDSnet www.sidsnet.org ■
His excellency the king of Tonga