Operator: Tourism must benefit rural communities

The tourism sector must be prioritised to benefit the rural communities in Papua New Guinea.

Local tour operator in Chimbu Province, Chris Jaime, said tourism remains the only industry where everyone can benefit from.

Jaime operates tours and provides adventure trips for both local and international tourists in Chimbu, including tours for Mt Wilhelm, which is the highest peak in PNG and the Oceania region.

Jaime said people can be involved in Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) to sustain their livelihoods and also contribute to the country’s economy by promoting tourism with their products.

“Let's promote and market our region, even rural areas for tourism purposes and let us all be responsible for tourism development.”

Jaime stressed that marketing strategies and incentives must be put in place to identify potential tourism venues to attract tourists.

Law and order should also be considered where security threats and possible attitude would affect the tourism market.

Jaime added that relevant agencies must come down to key stakeholders at the provincial, district, local level government and village level to work together to achieve this objective.

(Picture courtesy of the Tufi Dive Resort website)

Author: 
Quintina Naime