- Impacts of Total Factor Productivity on Agricultural Growth in Pacific Island Countries
- Genetic Loss in Food Crops in the Pacific: Socio-Economics Causes and Policy Issues
- An insight into public sector readiness for change – the Fiji Experience
- Regulations, Costs and Informality: The Case of Fiji
- The effectiveness of the destination websites in promoting linkages between visitors and the community in Tonga
- Hayden White and the Burden of History
- A comparative study of stress amongst teachers of the western division in Fiji
- Australia – A Hegemonic Power in the Pacific Region
- The Magnus Effect and the Flettner Rotor: Potential Application for Future Oceanic Shipping
- Irrigated ethnoagriculture, adaptation and development: a Pacific case study
- Impacts of Total Factor Productivity on Agricultural Growth in Pacific Island Countries
- Genetic Loss in Food Crops in the Pacific: Socio-Economics Causes and Policy Issues
- An insight into public sector readiness for change – the Fiji Experience
- Regulations, Costs and Informality: The Case of Fiji
- The effectiveness of the destination websites in promoting linkages between visitors and the community in Tonga
- Hayden White and the Burden of History
- A comparative study of stress amongst teachers of the western division in Fiji
- Australia – A Hegemonic Power in the Pacific Region
- The Magnus Effect and the Flettner Rotor: Potential Application for Future Oceanic Shipping
- Irrigated ethnoagriculture, adaptation and development: a Pacific case study
The effectiveness of the destination websites in promoting linkages between visitors and the community in Tonga
Author: Nick Towner
Abstract
Whilst tourism has brought Tonga potentially significant prospects for job creation and local business ownership, many tourists lack knowledge about the cultural experiences on offer at their holiday destination. This signifies a lost opportunity to form linkages between foreign tourists and the Tongan community. This study analysed the content of 40 Tongan websites to see how effectively they promoted linkages to community based tourism industries. It found the majority of websites had very weak content on local handicrafts, food and cultural events and were ineffective at promoting linkages between tourists and the community, thereby reducing the potential for local community participation in the tourism industry.
Keywords: Tonga, community participation, internet, linkages, websites