THE University of PNG hosted its first ever Tourism Industry Seminar yesterday under the theme Preparing for a New Dawn in PNG’s Tourism, that saw academics and invited guests speak of the focus now shifting towards local tourism amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA), being the Ministry for Tourism’s key agency, was the major sponsor behind the two-day convention.
Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture Isi Henry Leonard who attended the first day of the convention that featured the all-day seminar, addressed the current state of the tourism industry in Papua New Guinea since PNG was hit by Covid-19.
“Our tourism industry was very much affected by the pandemic in 2020. This meant that international flights were banned and the government had to refocus its attention to other areas to address the pandemic, such as health and law and order.”
The Minister was adamant in his speech that despite the challenges faced PNG’s rich and distinct cultures and environment allowed space to tap into domestic tourism market approach.
“People come here for our uniqueness, there is potential in our diversity,” he said.
Minister Leonard said the conditions of the pandemic have now made domestic tourism the best sustainable option for the tourism industry.
He added that PNG can no longer rely on the conventional approach of drawing international tourists to our cultural shows or providing an escape to our coastal resorts, it must now focus on rediscovering its own country by drawing from and learning from the differences.
The University’s Vice Chancellor Prof. Frank Griffin shared similar sentiments in his remarks, saying that PNG can definitely offer more and the convention was a great way to share discussions, models and policy options to make it happen.
The team behind the convention, mostly final year students led by Dr. Joyce Rayel, the Head of Division for Tourism and Hospitality Management were commended for organizing the event.
TPA CEO Eric Mossman Uvovo who was also in attendance and spoke in the guest speaker segment on the topic A Look After Dawn: Domestic Tourism a solution for PNG Tourism highlighted what this actually meant for PNG going forward.
Mr. Uvovo said that with the release of the comprehensive Tourism Sector Development Plan 2022 – 2026, there will be a bolstering of the already existing Safe Traveler PNG initiative that converges the Niupla Pasin with global travel practices, and the introduction of the Reach for the Remote campaign to drive domestic tourism in remote parts of PNG that have never been seen before.
