Tourists brought in K960m

TOURISTS brought in K960 million to Papua New Guinea last year.This was an increase of K60 million from the previous year. Culture and Tourism Minister Charles Abel announced this at a press conference yesterday.Mr Abel said PNG had recorded a total of more than 120,139 short-term visitor arrival last year.He said this was an increase of 15 per cent or about 16,000 additional visitors compared to 104,122 in the previous year.

He added in 2007 it was estimated that about K880 million was spent by tourist traveling to the country.According visitor arrival summary 2008 the number of had increase from less than 60,000 in 2003 and 120,000 in 2008.The report showed that last year about 45 per cent came for business, 1 per cent education, 34 per cent holiday and 18 per cent employment. Since the global financial crisis hit most parts of the world in the last quarter of last year, Mr Abel said the number of tourist visiting the country had fallen.

However, he said PNG had positive growth compared to many destinations around the world.He added tourism numbers increased from all of PNG’s major markets sources with ancestral Australian market increasing by 21 per cent from 2007 which accounted to 50 per cent of the total arrival in 2008.Other tourist were from United States (+67 per cent), Japan(+66 per cent), Germany(+54 per cent),United Kingdom (+15 per cent), France (+7 per cent), Canada (+44) and New Zealand(+14 per cent) all had positive growth of tourist visiting the country.Mr Abel said this year would be challenging because of the world financial crisis.

He said he had talks with Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Abal to have incentives to improve tourism market in PNG during the world financial crisis.He said physical incentives such as reducing taxation on visas and having identification forms for visitors to fill during their visit so they could improve data and market in the country.

Meanwhile TPA chief executive officer Peter Vincent said United Nations Development Program (UNDP) had selected three 5-year pilot project tourism provinces in the country.He said the provinces were Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Milne Bay and Eastern Highlands provinces.

By CALDRON LAEPA of the Post Courier


*** Among political, social, and economic issues affecting our country and worldwide, there is light at the end of the dark tunnel for Papua New Guinea. The above news not only brings hope to the government but the ordinary people of Papua New Guinea, especially; those in the remote areas of PNG. The news is indeed a positive one for such people as craftsmen; motel/lodge/guest house owners, registered sing sing groups, and churches.

These people will directly meet these tourists and exchange their gifts/provide their services. It provides a right avenue for them to sell/provide where the government have failed miserably to provide proper markets for some of the best products produced by the people in the villages where there is no road excess. Whatever they make out of that will sustain their lives and that of their families and that's why it is a good news for everyone who is involved in the tourism industry.

My advice to the people in the rural villages of PNG is simple: Put those guns, gambling, going to towns; especially, on Fridays and Saturdays without any purpose, fighting, and threw away the mentality of compensation on anything and get to work. Make a living in a honest way. I know God will bless you abundantly after you sweat your guts to make a living.