Tongan Olympian Pita Taufatofua - as an occasional ukulele player - appears on the cover of the new issue of the Discover Tonga - Tongatapu & Nuku'alofa Maps published in Nuku'alofa today.

The taekwondo athlete, who attracted attention at the Rio Olympic in his traditional costume as Tonga's flag-bearer, has won modeling contracts overseas as a result of his media exposure, but he's not forgotten Tonga.

After Rio made him famous, Pita, who lives in Australia, returned to Tonga to shoot a self-funded promotional video of his homeland, and to join in a celebratory float parade for Tongan athletes in a "Walk for Health".

Before the parade Pita was photographed near the Royal Palace by Discover Tonga editor Mary Lyn Fonua.

"Since we started the Discover Tonga series in 1995, our covers have featured mainly the reigning Miss Heilala or the most photogenic Heilala contestants – so I'm very happy to say that Pita is the first man to be featured," she said. "Pita is a true professional in the way he presents himself and his homeland, and Tonga is very lucky to have Pita with his friendly smile actively promoting tourism."

Pita has supported Tonga Tourism by attending international travel trade shows. He joined Tonga's delegation in China in October for an appearance at the Guangdong 21^st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo.

The 2016-17 Discover Tonga maps are currently being distributed to participating tourism businesses on Tongatapu, where they are freely available for tourists. The maps will also be available soon from the Tonga Visitor Centre, and at upcoming international travel trade shows.

The Discover Tonga series of tourism maps of Tonga has been published by Vava'u Press Ltd. since 1995, as an annual publication to highlight the locations of businesses serving the tourism industry. Vava'u Press Ltd. is located at Pahu, Nuku'alofa (no. 41 on the map of Nuku'alofa).