The Australian Government stands ready to take tourism industry in Papua New Guinea to the next desired level.
In a recent introductory meeting with the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Emil Tammur, Australian High Commissioner, Bruce Davis, reaffirmed the willingness of his government to support and assist tourism projects and programs in preparation for APEC 2018 and beyond.
Both leaders discussed on how best they would work together to develop the industry and ensure maximum benefits from the sector reach the local people at the community level across the country.
Davis said PNG has a lot to offer to the world in tourism, arts and culture, and suggested direct flight connections with Queensland where there is a huge market opportunity for Australian tourists, especially trekkers.
Bird watching is another potential tourist attraction that PNG can tap into if further explored and marketed internationally.
“Australia is keen to support any development program and projects to promote the tourism sector and are willing to advocate in promoting and selling PNG,” said High Commissioner Davis.
Minister Tammur said the country needs major tourism infrastructure developments, like roads to link tourism spots, particularly in East New Britain Province where there are hundreds of untapped World War II Japanese tunnels.
The Minister and the High Commissioner both agreed to work together to explore other areas of tourism, like tapping into the North Asian market that they agreed is significant and growing.
(Picture: TravelPulse)