Interview:Tony Honey What are the short- and medium-term implications of Covid-19 for the tourism industry, and what measures could help mitigate the fallout? TONY HONEY: Covid-19 and the related travel restrictions have been disastrous for the tourism industry in Papua New Guinea. While tourism forms a small part of PNG’s economy as a whole, it plays an important role in rural areas and…
Tourism in the Asia-Pacific region has seen impressive growth in recent years, aided by cheaper air fares, an expanding consumer class and increased exposure brought about by improved internet connectivity. Although these developments have led to significant economic benefits for countries across the region, they have also had some negative consequences, particularly for the environment. Around…
Successive governments have long identified tourism as a promising avenue for Papua New Guinea to diversify its economy away from a reliance on extractive industries. PNG’s topography, biodiversity and rich cultural traditions offer a range of outdoor tourism opportunities that stand to be unlocked by improved infrastructure, enhanced safety measures and effective marketing strategies. Moreover,…
Successive governments have identified tourism as a promising avenue for Papua New Guinea to diversify its economy away from a reliance on extractive industries. PNG’s biodiversity and rich cultural traditions offer a range of tourism opportunities that stand to be unlocked by improved infrastructure and effective marketing strategies. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the country seemed poised to…
The government of Papua New Guinea faces some challenges in 2020, with the electorate calling for improvements to social and economic infrastructure, and greater efforts to combat both real and perceived corruption. Despite these difficulties, PNG’s resource wealth and strategic location between the industrial centres of north-east Asia, the rising economies of the Association of South-east Asia
The APEC Leaders’ Summit in November 2018 put Papua New Guinea firmly on the map, but work remains to ensure the country’s tourism industry successfully capitalises on its time in the international spotlight. Over 9000 international visitors descended on Port Moresby for the two-day event, booking out the city’s hotels and requiring three Australian cruise ships to dock in the harbour to accommodate…
Interview:Heidi Kunkel What tourism-related lessons can Papua New Guinea learn from its regional partners? HEIDI KUNKEL: There are some key lessons that PNG can learn from the Fiji tourism landscape. PNG and Fiji have similarities because they are both endowed with natural diversity and rich cultural traditions. The tourism sector in Fiji has marketed the country extensively over the last decade…
Over the course of less than two decades, China has gone from being a minor player to being the world’s largest and most lucrative source of outbound tourists. In 2017 alone Chinese nationals made more than 131m trips outside of their national borders, spending approximately $300bn in the process. The growing volume and financial clout of Chinese tourists presents considerable opportunities – while…
Aided by easier and cheaper travel, global tourism has experienced two decades of almost uninterrupted growth. According to the World Bank, the number of international departures more than doubled between 1997 and 2017, from 687m to 1.57bn per annum. With the global middle class estimated by the US-based think tank Brookings Institution to be expanding by as many as 160m people per year until 2021,…
With the new administration of Prime Minister James Marape committed to easing dependency on extractive industries, supporting diversification and stimulating job creation, the tourism sector offers significant potential. However, travelling in Papua New Guinea at present requires patience, perseverance and fortitude. Until infrastructure constraints, high travel costs and security concerns are addressed,…
