The Chairman of the Tonga Media Council, Pesi Fonua, says the kingdom is the ideal place to host the Pacific Island News Association conference which opens on Friday.
There had been some misgivings about holding the conference in Tonga because of the strained relationship between government and the media.
But Mr Fonua says that makes Tonga an ideal host.
"We are going through some time of trying to have some political reform programmes. Tonga has always had some kind of a rough ride with regard to the local media. So we decided it would be an ideal time to bring journalists to Tonga and also give the government and people here the opportunity for a dialogue and talk."
The Tonga Media Council Chairman, Pesi Fonua.
