AMIDST the negative impact on the tourism industry in the country from the global COVID-19 pandemic, the ENB Tourism Authority (ENBTA) Board has also raised concerns on the recent number of criminal attacks on visitors.
ENBTA Board Interim Chairman Dr. Jacob Simet said these attacks occur at some of the most popular hotspots in the province, and this can have a long-term negative impact on the tourism industry in the province.
He further condemned the behavior and called on citizens and those in authority to play their part to put a stop to these anti-social activities.
Instead Dr. Simet encouraged citizens to be hospitable and to make the visitors’ stay conducive through the way they treat visitors.
ENB province was declared by the national government as a tourism hub of the region and country in 2014 and the province has diversified tourism products like culture, history, scenic beauty and the general environment to offer both international and domestic visitors.
ENBTA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Gard Renson said prior to 2020, the cruise ship sector alone generated K24 million over a six-year period, which goes directly to the industry tourism players.
But he reiterated that this figure has dropped drastically with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, with an estimated loss in revenue, of between K3 million – K4 million.
Dr. Simet said because of the drop in international tourists into the country and thus the province, the ENBTA is re-focusing its attention on enhancing the local tourism aspect of this lucrative and economically vibrant industry.
Hence, both the interim board chairman and the CEO said there are plans in place to establish tour packages, to entice more visitors to the province from other centers in the country.
This would be done through dialogues with the airlines and hoteliers to reduce fares and bed fees, and to have these packages linked to registered tourism hotspots around the four districts of East New Britain province.
According to the ENBTA, it is projected that the industry should pick up again by the second quarter of 2022, if this pandemic is managed through the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines around the world.
Renson said this is an opportunity for the province to increase the number of cruise ships visiting per month from 1 to 3, so to increase the expected revenue from this sector of the industry.
However, Dr. Simet cautioned that while the province has been receiving mainly the elderly through the cruises, there might be changes after the COVID-19 pandemic, in that there might be more interest from the younger generation and hence their interest in visiting sites and products will also vary.
Dr. Simet further elaborated that based on the World Health Organization (WHO) requirements, about 70% of the world’s population must be vaccinated in order for the world to be considered safe again for people to travel.