In the first quarter of 2022, Papua New Guinea welcomed 9845 overseas tourists after the COVID-19 travel restrictions were lifted. Eric Mossman Uvovo, Chief Executive Officer of the Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA), disclosed. He said that in the first quarter of 2022, the country had a 100 percent rise in overseas arrivals, or an additional 4933 people, compared to the same period last year. He said that, following years of steady development in visitor arrivals, PNG's numbers plummeted in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, which reduced foreign travel to its lowest level ever. However, in 2022, the numbers are gradually increasing as more destinations are added. “Out of the total arrivals to PNG 18 per cent came for business, two per cent on holiday, four per cent came to visit friends and relatives, 67 per cent came for employment, one per cent came for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) and the remaining eight per cent visited the country for other reasons. As many countries around the world have opened their international borders, arrivals are starting to pickup in 2022 and this healthy trend is expected to continue throughout the year and next year onwards,” Mr Uvovo said. He stated that their foreign agents and local operators have indicated that passengers are anxious to visit, but that the main difficulty has been with the Visa online application. “We have met with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship who assured us that they will look into this issue and tourists can apply for online visas to travel immediately,” he said.   Reference: Kamus, Maxine. Post-Courier (16 June 2022). “PNG Records Increase In Visitors In 2022 First Quarter”. 

Photo: Mr. Rajest Mandjakkat, CEO and Managing Director of Royal Arabian Computers going through the USD1.2m one-stop-shop Destination PNG Tourism Portal project with Amb Kalinoe, flanked by Mr. Sajeth Kumar, CEO and MD of IMBC Financial Professional Group and Dubai-based Trade and Investment Advisor to the PNG Embassy in Brussels (right) and an official of Royal Arabian Computers. One of the companies that recently signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with PNG during the Post Expo 2020 PNG-UAE Economic Cooperation Dialogue in Abu Dhabi on 20 April 2022, Royal Arabian Computers, has submitted an investment proposal to partner with the Tourism Promotion Authority to create a one-stop-shop Destination PNG Digital Portal. The company has been closely following the PNG Pavilion’s Expo journey during the thematic events, including the launch of the PNG SME Digital Economy and the Roundtable on Education, Science and the Green Economy where the Minister for Information, Communication and Technology Hon. Timothy Masiu and the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Hon. Isi Leonard presented keynote addresses respectively. Papua New Guinea’s Ambassador to Belgium and Expo2020 Commissioner General Mr. Joshua Kalinoe who is in Dubai for the completion of the PNG Pavilion’s decommissioning exercise met with the company and formerly received their proposal. Ambassador Kalinoe said the proposal is an effort of the positive engagement between the company and the Pavilion Lead staff of TPA, IPA and the Department of Information, Communication and Technology (DCIT) who worked tirelessly to have the company committed to the investment. “The Pavilion staff were aggressively implementing the target-based Participation Strategy as approved by the National Executive Council and the results have been overwhelming, well beyond my expectation, where 19 LOIs in trade, finance, banking, manufacturing, construction, tourism, mining, hydrocarbon, renewable energy, carbon trade and agriculture were signed. “In the next two months, we expect to receive some more formal investment proposals from the 19 LOIs in finance, digital banking, agriculture, information technology, hydrocarbon, mining and import/export infrastructure, including mobility and connectivity”, Ambassador Kalinoe said. Ambassador Kalinoe said the whole-of-government structure in implementing international events like the World Exposition 2020 with the leadership of the PNG Foreign Service represented by Kundu Brussels, has proven that international diplomacy is certainly relevant to achieving Papua New Guinea’s economic and visibility interests.

  The Melanesian Tourist Services (MTS) welcomes its newest motor vessel Kalibobo Express to Madang. During the launch ceremony, the vessel adorned members of the Madang business community, MTS clients and proud staff of the Madang Resort Hotel to an introductory cruise around Madang’s picturesque harbour. The ferry vessel, based at Madang Resort’s marina will soon offer Madang business houses, government departments, and visiting tourists regular inter-island scheduled services to nearby islands and destinations of the Bismark Sea.   The 22m aluminum catamaran, was custom built in Pattaya Thailand under the guise of seasoned business man Sir Peter Barter, MTS Managing Director. Sir Peter, a long-time catalyst and front runner in PNG tourism has long offered, branded and locally renowned Discovery Cruises and Expeditions as part of MTS tour packages under the Madang Resort and Niugini Dive Adventures. However, the new, Kalibobo Express brings a new focus to alternate PNG travel. Schedule for May and June The ferry will see affordable sea transfers between the islands of Karkar, Bagabag and Manam aswell as competitive fares to Wewak via Manam island out of Madang. Built for comfort and style, Kalibobo Express boasts speed and safety and will commence services in June carrying up to 140 passengers with crew. Fares are now selling, catering for adults and children accompanied with a competitive baggage allowance of 30kilos, with additional excess baggage and onboard freezer storage for perishable goods. The double story vessel is built with internal air-conditioned seating aswell as outdoor and an internal VIP cabin for that corporate client. Traveling within the Madang-Momase, Kalibobo Express will run on a weekly basis with the schedule out now.

Photo: Picture of Ramil meeting new friends in Tari. The country has welcomed the first two tourists from Dubai after the visitors were convinced by the beauty of Papua New Guinea displayed at the world expo in Dubai. Ruslan Tarpan and Ramil Shaidullin from Ukraine and Russia respectively visited the PNG pavilion at the expo2020 and were blown away by the images and videos about the country. They were also introduced to locally made products such as coffee, honey, artefacts and jewelry, which they purchased. The duo arrived in the country earlier in the week on a 10-day tour to several places in the country including Ambua Lodge in Tari, Karawari in East Sepik, Mt Hagen and Kokopo in East New Britain. “The people are very friendly, the nature is so beautiful and the food is great,” said an excited Ramil from the mountains of Ambua. Ramil who has now called himself Mangi Tari seems to love everything he comes across such as the decorations and masks in the lodges, artefacts and is interested to take them back to Dubai. “Everything is good but the internet is not good,” he told IPA Officer Mrs. Beverly Piawu. “But the main thing is that we are having a great experience in the green outbacks of PNG.” The duo chartered a plane to take them around their visits. During the Dubai world expo’s thematic week on Travel and Connectivity in January, the PNG Expo Team hosted an investment forum to promote the ICT and tourism sectors. The key message delivered during the forum was that digital technology in this century and access to broadband internet for our citizens and visitors would add value to the natural environment and cultural diversity of Papua New Guinea and therefore, PNG needed an integrated tourism and visitor connectivity infrastructure system. The team highlighted the call out for investors and experts that would help plan and deliver the connectivity system in a sustainable way. Expo Commissioner General and PNG Ambassador to Brussels and the European Union His Excellency Joshua Kalinoe said he was happy to see the results of expo starting to come into fruition. He said this was a result of the efforts put in by the team during the six-month long expo. He also stressed that PNG was an exotic country but it needs visitors to experience a mixture of both the modern and traditional means of PNG lifestyles so that even if they spend time on the remote mountains or islands they can still have access to internet and electricity.

Photo credit: Tourism Promotion Authority According to the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority, Papua New Guinea will soon be promoted as a tourist destination in the Gulf and Middle East areas (TPA). This comes after TPA and Across Borders Travel, a Dubai-based marketing and representation organization, signed a memorandum of agreement (MoU) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The deal was inked by Tourism Arts and Culture Minister Isi Henry Leonard and Across Borders Travel CEO Fabian Fernandes. Leonard stated that PNG's tourist business had never entered the Middle Eastern tourism market, that the MoU was a breakthrough, and that he aimed to acquire a market from the Gulf area. “PNG’s participation at the Dubai World Expo2020 will provide the leverage to effectively market PNG as a tourism destination in light of the opening of international borders,” he said. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a political and economic union of Arab states surrounding the Gulf, is looked after by Across Borders Travel. It was founded in 1981, with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain as members. Across Borders Travel was founded in 2013 and is a sales representative for seven cruise lines and 11 destination management businesses. TPA will get tourism and marketing expertise from Across Borders Travel as part of the MOU. It will also offer TPA information on travel and tourism in the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East. TPA CEO Eric Uvovo and marketing director Alice Kuaningi were on hand to witness the signing.   Reference: The National (4 March 2022). “TPA signs deal to promote PNG in the Middle East”.

According to the current issue of the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Pacific Economic Monitor (PEM), the Pacific economies are expected to return in 2022. While the Pacific region's GDP prediction was cut to -0.6 per cent in 2021 in the ADB study, the subregion is expected to increase by 4.7 per cent in 2022 as widespread immunization against coronavirus illness (COVID-19) allows borders to gradually reopen. This is intended to improve trade and tourism in the Cook Islands, Fiji, and Vanuatu, among other places. A brighter prognosis for Papua New Guinea's extractives industry is also expected to contribute considerably to this recovery. “As the Pacific region gradually reopens borders, safeguarding the health, resuming safe travel, strengthening economic management, and promoting fiscal sustainability will be key to ensuring a resilient recovery from COVID-19,” said ADB Director General for the Pacific Leah Gutierrez. According to the PEM, reopening to travellers who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 is critical for the tourism industry's future. The number of tourists to Pacific sites has remained limited, with the majority of visitors arriving via travel bubble agreements with bilateral partners. However, due to dangers associated with the global rise of COVID-19 cases caused by the Delta variant, these preparations had to be put on hold. For near-term tourism in the Pacific, a sustainable return to safe travel will be vital. This, in turn, will be determined by vaccine rollout success, which has been inconsistent, with near-universal coverage of eligible people in the Cook Islands, Nauru, Niue, and Palau, contrasting with relatively modest adoption in Melanesian nations. Other country issues and policy themes critical to mitigating risks to the Pacific's recovery are explored in the PEM. It discusses public finance sustainability in the Cook Islands through fiscal consolidation and state-owned enterprise reforms in the Marshall Islands and Palau. Other articles focus on specific aspects of economic recovery, such as female labour participation in Fiji, labour mobility initiatives in Kiribati and Tuvalu, and reducing the burden of noncommunicable illness in Niue, Samoa, and Tonga. The PEM also looks at topics that are important across the subregion when it comes to the sustainable management of fisheries resources. The PEM's policy briefs look at significant problems that will have a big impact on the Pacific's overall economic recovery after the COVID-19 crisis. The Lowy Institute's contribution estimates the time it will take Pacific countries to vaccinate their people and cautions that an unequal vaccine rollout would have long-term consequences for the region's growth. Another contribution from the Private Sector Development Initiative looks at the possibilities for tourism following COVID-19 and how rephrasing tourism goals and targets while including sustainability indicators might help people better comprehend tourism as a growth strategy. The final policy brief examines the topic of domestic resource mobilization and its role in ensuring the Pacific's public finances are sustainable. The Asian Development Bank is dedicated to establishing a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific while continuing to fight extreme poverty. It was founded in 1966 and is owned by 68 people, 49 of them are from the region.   Reference: Asian Development Bank (14 December 2021). “Tourism to Help Pacific Growth Rebound in 2022, Says ADB Report the region”.

Photo credit: PM James Marape News Page - PNG Tourism Promotion Authority CEO Eric Mossman Uvovo, Tourism Minister Hon. Isi Henry Leonard, TPA Chairman Hon. Kennedy Wenge and PM Marape with children representing the four regions of the country at launching of the PNG Tourism Sector Development Plan 2022-2026 in Port Moresby. Prime Minister James Marape has pledged his government's complete support for the tourist industry, including in the 2022 Budget. He offered this guarantee in Port Moresby recently at the introduction of the Tourist Promotion Authority's PNG tourism sector growth plan 2022-2026. Tourism Arts and Culture Minister Isi Henry Leonard, TPA chairman Kennedy Wenge, and TPA chief executive officer Eric Uvovo were also present alongside Marape. Tourism, agriculture, sustainable forestry, sustainable fisheries, and downstream processing would all be priorities for Marape's government, according to him. “The next 10 years will see huge activity in various interventions we will do for our country,” he said. “What we are projecting in the next 10 years is a K200 billion economy.” Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey will announce in the 2022 Budget that the PNG economy will surpass K100 billion next year, according to Marape. “We are working with the Asian Development Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Bank in restructuring our economy, refocusing our economy, putting our economy in the right place,” he said. “We are doing things in tough times, and tough times allow us to look at our priorities and lesser priorities. I am here to tell you that tourism, just like agriculture, can be engaged in by every person in the villages.” Marape urged everyone in the country to embrace tourism as their own. “Our citizens can contribute in a big way to tourism,” he said. “Generally, in our country, you find very caring and friendly people. Tourists who come here go back with fond memories of our country.” He said that his administration was encouraging everyone in the country, particularly youngsters, to participate in economic pursuits such as tourism. “That is why we have made this deliberate intervention to put money in banks so that you can do a start-up somewhere,” he said.   Reference: Post-Courier (15 November 2021). “Marape Assures Tourism Sector Of Govt Support”.

Photo credit: Travel Triangle Domestic tourism should be pushed today, argued Tourist, Arts and Culture Minister Isi Henry Leonard, since the tourism industry is being impacted by the Coronavirus (Covid-19) epidemic. “The Covid-19 has awakened us to realise our full potential,” he said. “The answer is in culture and domestic tourism. We have to realign and re-strategise to get tourism up and going. “You don’t need to look outside for answers. “You need to look inside to address this global situation. “Culture is the product to boost the tourism industry that is largely affected by the pandemic. “Anywhere there is a cultural event, we support it. I promote the culture of this country.” Chief executive officer of the Tourism Promotion Authority, Eric Mossman Uvovo, said measures were in the works to promote domestic tourism. Locals and expats alike were interested in domestic airports and flights, he added. Packages with airlines have been promoted.   Reference: The National (22 September 2021). ‘Encourage local tourism’

According to Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA) chief executive officer Eric Mossman Uvovo, the tourism industry has lost roughly K500 million as a result of the Coronavirus (Covid-19). “PNG recorded an 82 per cent drop – 170,000 fewer arrivals compared to the 200,000 arrivals of international travellers in 2019,” Uvovo told a tourism convention yesterday at the University of PNG. The tourist industry, he said, has been hammered the hardest around the world, with Asia-Pacific being the hardest-hit region. “Global tourism suffered its worst year on record in 2020 with international arrivals dropping by 74 per cent (or one billion less in arrival according to the latest data from the World Tourism Organisation). The Asia and Pacific region suffered the most with an 84 per cent drop (or 300 million fewer international arrivals), followed by the Middle East and Africa. “International arrivals worldwide continue to remain weak in 2021 and it is expected to slowly improve in 2022 and fully recover by 2024.”  The National Development Plan 2022-2026 is being used by the TPA to: Improve the number of visitors; Increase the number of domestic visitors; Increase the number of tourism operators and suppliers and strengthen product capacity; Enhance the quality of tourism-related goods and services; Strengthen the tourism industry and the regulatory framework; and Improve sector leadership, coordination, and synergy. The TPA intends to collaborate with the two local airlines to offer domestic travel discounts to outlying areas of the country.   Reference: The National (22 September 2021). “Tourism industry lost K500mil due to Covid-19, Uvovo says”. 

To increase tourism, the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority requires additional government funding. PNG TPA Chief Executive Officer Eric Uvovo stated the government's support for tourism in PNG is a drop in the ocean, and TPA wants the government to recognize that tourism is a very vital and major sector that requires its assistance, as well as greater investment. According to Uvovo, financing is a major problem for TPA in terms of marketing and product development, and TPA is hoping that the government recognizes this and increases its budget in 2021 and beyond. “The government needs to meaningfully invest into tourism where TPA can reach down to the district and provincial level to develop tourism more. COVID-19 has really affected the tourism industry where all industry members are bleeding to the core at this point in time,” Uvovo said. He stated that they have sought government assistance for their stimulus packages, which has yet to materialize, and that they are still waiting for the government to step in and help them. According to Uvovo, 2020 will be the most difficult year in the history of tourism due to the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global tourism, which has resulted in travel restrictions, low consumer confidence, and a global struggle to control the spread of COVID, all of which have impacted the industries. TPA is currently working with districts and provincial governments to boost domestic tourism, but financing remains a key issue, which he is urging the government to address now by investing or increasing the tourist budget to improve the business.   Reference: Kamus, Maxine. Post-Courier (5 August 2021). “Tourism Promotion Authority Needs Govt Support”.

Photo Credit: Papua New Guinea Travel According to Gudmundur Fridrikkson, chief executive officer of Paga Hill Development Company, the country can generate US$250 million (K869.60 million) in 18 months if 80 of the 300 cruise ships that pass by are allowed to visit. Fridrikkson stated that the country needs the appropriate products and infrastructure, such as wharves. “PNG needs to diversify its economy and one of the low hanging fruits is tourism,” he said. “We have over 300 cruise ships that pass Papua New Guinea every year and obviously we have the Covid-19 now but we will get through that and this will recommence. “To attract some of these ships to Papua New Guinea, we need to have the right products and, by our calculations, getting 80 of the 300 ships in 18 months would bring more than US$250 million back into our economy and over 200,000 new tourists. “What they need is a good wharf to stop at. “We have been talking to Kumul about upgrading the wharf downtown and building a cultural park where all the provinces can showcase and sell artefacts and produce. “Also, upgrading the bunkers and maybe creating a peace museum more than a war museum celebrating our role in WWII. “There will be attractions where people can come off the boat, see the culture, eat the food, buy the products and then see the museum, then maybe go to Fisherman Island or a village. “One of the key components is a casino and duty-free.”   Reference: Luma, Dale. The National (31 May 2021). “Cruise ships can bring in K860m”.

After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country's tourism industry has been in a state of emergency, with the number of visitors dropping dramatically. In response to questions, Melanesian Tourism Services Limited reported that the global COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the tourism sector throughout Papua New Guinea. “The tourism sector in the country has gone to the dust; this is due to the PNG Government not taking tourism seriously, especially when they concentrate most of their efforts in the Mining, Gas and Petroleum sector,” said Anton Selve. “Tourism is a sustainable resource itself and until our government gets their act together, we won’t become like Fiji or any other ‘hot’ tourism destination in the world. “Our tourism sector for last year and this year do look uncertain. Despite the pandemic, Papua New Guineans have to realise that we all need to get vaccinated to get things going post-COVID-19,” Selve said. He said that if there are any ways of defence against the virus, the pandemic will gradually fade away from this world, and the country will be able to freely host tourism and domestic travel again, with no more lockdowns. Until that happens, there will be no estimation to the future.  “We believe that in order to attract tourists to come into this country, we need to actively create facilities to make the world turn their attention to us for something better than crime and see the prospects in the county of million journeys,” Selve said. Tourism Minister Isi Leonard previously announced that the Ministry is focused on making tourism a people-oriented industry and working with the National Cultural Commission to encourage cultural events as a path forward. “We are now going rural and supporting cultural activities in the rural areas which are the way forward following the adverse impacts we have been experiencing in the tourism and hospitality industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

According to the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority, the number of foreign tourists to the country declined by about 82 per cent last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its negative effects on travel (TPA). In 2020, only 39,000 foreign tourists were counted, down 170,000 from the previous year and the lowest in the last 20 years. PNG's largest source country, according to the 2020 tourist arrivals survey, is Australia. In 2019, 103,440 Australians visited Papua New Guinea. By 2020, the figure had dropped by 86% to just 14,871. “Visitors from the Philippines were the second-largest international travellers to PNG in 2020, while visitors from China were third,” the authority stated “Visitors from the Philippines and China dropped by 71 per cent and 84 per cent respectively.” Visitors came to PNG for work, service, vacation, visiting friends and relatives, school, gatherings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, and sports, according to the study. In the year 2020, 54% of travellers will be looking for work. “Only 8 per cent came as tourists. The number of visitors who came for a vacation was 3,399, down 87.5 per cent from the previous year's total of 25,199. “All tourists arriving in PNG in 2020 were by air. “No cruise ship visitors were recorded due to the Government’s ban on cruise ships entering the nation’s seaports. “The international visitor exit survey conducted by the TPA revealed that tourists had spent an estimated K156 million in 2020 – K560 million a less than in 2019 which recorded K715 million in expenditure.”

With international borders shut down to contain the virus, PNG experienced a downfall in international travellers from January to June last year - 32,805 as compared with 75,556 of the same period n 2019, a drop of 57 per cent. In addition, tourism-related businesses and enterprises suffered major losses, and there is a dearth of tourists visiting shopping malls and recreational parks In an assessment survey conducted last September and October, tourism stakeholders and tourism product owners revealed interesting responses.According to the chief executive officer of the Port Moresby Nature Park, park visits fell from 70,346 visitors between March and August 2019 to 42,435 over the same period in 2020, a drop of 40 per cent. There were also a lot of cancellations of programs and projects for the parks. Also suffered was the souvenir shop of the park as there were no tourists anymore. However, some good samaritans also helped the park such as the Sir Brian Bell Foundation and the British High Commission paying entrance fees for their students and teachers. In addition, the earnings of local artisans were disrupted too.The hotel industry was another one of those hardest hit. Facing closure were the Ela Beach Hotel and the Holiday Inn Express because there were no tourists or visitors. Rates for room occupancy also dropped. But operations started picking up last quarter of 2020, especially with the food and beverages at the hotel. Lodges also faced some massive challenges. Aside from the airlines, travel agents such as PNG Explorers International, Mix Travel Limited also faced some losses and huge cancellations. Others such as dry cleaning, rental cars, barbershops, and florists all lacked customers.Local arts and crafts vendors also struggled.While it is believed that international travels boost the economy, domestic tourism can also contribute a lot. It is, therefore, everyone’s business to keep tourism alive in PNG.

Crucial reforms have to be made so that the tourism industry can move forward.According to Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture Isi Leonard, they need to ensure that the environment for the tourism industry is significant to these changing times. He added that the enforcement of standards will add value to competitive advantage as a destination to ensure that the process of tourism goes smoothly. “Papua New Guinea’s tourism industry is a sleeping giant and has a huge potential to generate considerable wealth for our country,” he said. “The tourism industry will play a vital role in growing Papua New Guinea’s economy by harnessing the huge untapped tourism potential and open doors to the outside world into our shores to a million different journeys."He is confident that the national tourism plan will give the guidelines and frameworks for the tourism industry to get back on track. “We have to take back our tourism industry at the local level to the national level,” he said. “Every citizen in the Informal Sector, MMSEs, SMEs and big corporate organizations in all sectors of the economy can effectively participate and contribute to the overall growth and productivity of the Tourism Industry in Papua New Guinea.”